Living in Darkness
by iceangelmkx
Summary: This is the story about the rogue swordsman Kenshi. His only goal in life is to be the best swordsman, but he soon meets someone who will give him something he never had. Original Character. COMPLETED! My first MK fic! PLEASE R&R!
1. Prologue The Katana

A/N: This is my first full-length Mortal Kombat story. I've written crossovers with them in the Street Fighter section, but this is the first time I'm writing a Mortal Kombat story without any other game series or anything like that. I might make some flaws, but please forgive me for it. I hope that you enjoy my fic and PLEASE review it.  
  
Prologue  
  
A quiet tomb called the House of Pekara becomes disrupted as two figures enter it. They slowly walk through the labyrinth below. The halls were lit with torches hanging on the walls.  
  
The figures move in a slow pace silently. After a few minutes, they reach towards what looks like a well.  
  
One of the two figures steps towards it and then bends down to his knees. With his blue eyes, he stares at the altar-like structure. "So, you say that this sword is in there?"  
  
The other man nods. "Yes, Kenshi. You will find the sword in that well."  
  
Kenshi looks up at the Chinese man. This man is only known as Song. They met back in Japan after Kenshi fought in a gruesome sword battle. Song told him about this sword called the Katana located in the depths of the sacred Labyrinth of Catacombs in China. At first, Kenshi was not sure about it. He didn't know who this Song guy is and why he's giving him this offer.  
  
Kenshi's goal in life is to simply be the best swordsman in the world. What made him decide to seek the katana was simply that goal. Song mentioned about a price and Kenshi hopes that it's a good price.  
  
This sword may show more of my status, he thought. So, days after their first meeting, Kenshi meets up with Song to seek the sword.  
  
Kenshi stares at the well. "The covering looks pretty heavy."  
  
"I would help," said Song. "But my strength is not what it used to be."  
  
Kenshi nods. He knows that he can do it. It would take a lot of effort for one person to pry the heavy stone off the well, but Kenshi is willing to do so in order to seek the sword.  
  
Kenshi puts his hands to the side of the stone and begins to push it off. As he does, he can picture himself winning every sword duel with this new weapon.  
  
After a few minutes, Kenshi finally manages to pry the stone off. As it crashes to the ground, Kenshi peers into the depths. Suddenly, a green blast hits his face causing him to jump back.  
  
It would be the last thing Kenshi will ever see.  
  
The green blast is actually a large group of souls. Song's eyes turn green and the souls get sucked in through his eyes. After the last soul enters his body, Song transforms into another human being. Instead of an old, , short, bald man, he was a tall, youthful man with long black hair and a goatee.  
  
Kenshi opens his eyes.but could only see darkness.  
  
Why can't I see, he thought in panic.  
  
The man laughs. "I thank you for the souls of the Warrior Kings, Kenshi."  
  
Kenshi gasps in horror. He realized whom he's dealing with.  
  
"Shang Tsung. You are the man who steals souls."  
  
Shang laughs. "I guess you do know me after all. I needed a descendent of the Warrior Kings to open the well and I thank you for that. Like I explained in Japan, there was a price in finding the katana and this was it. I can also see that your iris' are no longer visible."  
  
"What?!" Kenshi cried touching his eyes. They were open, but he was unable to see with them. Oh God, I'm blind!  
  
Shang laughs and takes out his straight sword. "I won't be needing you anymore, fool." With one simple stroke, he slices Kenshi's stomach open just enough to make him bleed enough to kill him slowly. Blood begins to pour out after the impact. Shang laughs once more before leaving Kenshi behind to die.  
  
Kenshi tries to get up, but the intense pain in his stomach wouldn't allow it. As he lies back down, he could feel the coppery taste of his own blood in his mouth.  
  
I'm blind and I'm injured, he thought. Even if I tried, I would never get out of here. Kenshi sighs. He begins to wait.wait for death to consume him.  
  
Just a few inches away from his hand was the katana. When the souls emerged out of the labyrinth, the sword popped out with it.  
  
The sword begins to glow in a red color. Kenshi could hear the humming noise coming out of it. He slowly reaches for it and manages to grab the handle. The pain in his stomach suddenly disappears.  
  
What the. Kenshi thought. He then starts to sense where the exit is. Kenshi becomes consumed with determination to find it. He gets up, sword in hand, and starts making his way out.  
  
Ten minutes later, Kenshi could feel the heat of the morning sun blast on to his face. Kenshi realized that he made it out of the House of Pekara.  
  
Now to find a hospital, he thought.  
  
As he searches for medical attention, many thoughts play in his head.  
  
I've betrayed my ancestors. Anger begins to fill his heart. I'll get them back and slay Shang for what he did!  
  
Then he sighs. But I'm blind now. How could I help?  
  
He feels the sword in his hands. For some reason, the sword led him out of the depths easily as if he could see. Thinking about his goal and his captured ancestors, Kenshi decided not to let his blindness get in the way, even though he'll be living in darkness.forever.  
  
*************************************************************  
  
Short, I know, but that's how all of my prologues are. I hope that you enjoyed this. PLEASE review this, but no flames. 


	2. Ch 1 The Rogue Swordsman

Chapter One- The Rogue Swordsman  
  
Ten Years Later.......  
  
Long Island, NY, USA  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen!" said an announcer. "Welcome to the Nassau Coliseum. Today's event feature live sword fights!"  
  
The crowds in the large arena cheer and applaud with excitement as they wait for the sword fights to begin.  
  
Amongst the audience in front row seats are three agents of the Special Forces, one man and two women.  
  
The man was a very muscular African American who stood 6'3' and wore a red baret on his head and a green uniform. On his arms are metals that look like they belong to a robot.  
  
The two women with him are both very beautiful. One was 5'9' with shoulder length blond hair and blue eyes. She wore a green jacket over a tight gray shirt and black leather pants. Her shirt was short enough to show off her well-toned abs.  
  
The other woman stood 5'5' with straight dark brown hair, which fell to her waist and light blue eyes. She wore a black jacket over a tight white shirt and light blue, gray, and black fatigue pants. Her complexion indicated that she is the youngest of the three.  
  
"So who are we looking for again?" asked the brunette.  
  
"A rogue swordsman named Blind Kenshi," answered the man. "They said that he would be in this fight."  
  
The announcer speaks again. "First up, the champion of sword fights five years in the row in this country........Mike Thompson!"  
  
Everyone cheers with more excitement a man in his early forties enters the ring. He wore silver armor and a mask to protect his face. He pulls out his sword from behind his back and raises it high in the air making the crowd go wild.  
  
"Hmph," said the man in the audience. "Seems like a popular guy."  
  
"And now," the announcer continued. "A new challenger! He comes all the way from the east side of the world to compete in the fight. Ladies and gentlemen......Blind Kenshi!"  
  
The crowd cheers, but now with as much enthusiasm as the Sword Fighting Champion. A man enters the arena. He wore a full-length black armor suit, which was also red on his biceps, elbows, forearms, and knees. Over his right shoulder and wrapping around his left waist was a white cloth. The edges were red with yellow Chinese writings going down. On his shoulder is a red dragon blowing fire. He also wore a red blindfold over his eyes. Only his nose, mouth, ears, and his short dark brown hair show.  
  
Mike, his opponent, laughs a little. "It's no wonder they call you Blind Kenshi! Ever thought about taking your blindfold off?"  
  
Kenshi felt a little insulted, but pushed the comment aside as if it was nothing but a mere fly. Mike has no idea what Kenshi is capable of, even blind.  
  
Back in the audience, the three agents look at Kenshi. "So that's him," said the blond woman. "The Rogue Swordsman."  
  
"Yes," the man replied. "Special Forces want him to be part of the Outerworld Investigation Agency."  
  
"It is early," the brunette answered. "We're still working on the portal."  
  
"True," said the man. "But Special Forces want him as soon as possible."  
  
The brown-haired woman nods and looks back at the ring. Kenshi reaches behind his back and draws out his sword.  
  
He's blind, the woman thought. He must have very good senses in order to participate in these fights.   
  
Both swordsmen get into their stances.  
  
"Begin!" the announcer cried out.  
  
The men begin to circle around each other. Kenshi holds the sword out with both hands while Mike held his sword with one hand. Then, Kenshi's sword begins to glow in a red color.  
  
Mike sees this and springs his attack, his weapon above his head.  
  
Kenshi could sense Mike getting closer. As Mike swings the sword, Kenshi quickly blocks it with his own sword.  
  
Back and forth, they swing their swords at each other. When one sword is closer, the other blocks it.  
  
"Man, he's good," the male agent said with a whistle as he watches Kenshi.  
  
Then, Kenshi starts using his Charging Slash. He slashes his sword a few times from side to side making Mika jump back. The last slash hits Mike's armor. Kenshi then jumps in the air, but Mike saw this and lashed his sword out. It hits Kenshi's left calf but the armor prevented any damage.  
  
Then, as Mike slashes another move, Kenshi steps aside and then swings his sword towards Mike's back. The sword leaves a big gash on his back causing him to bleed. The hard impact sends Mike across the arena and he goes down in pain.  
  
(A/N: Sorry for the short battle, but I promise that the battles in the later chapters will be longer)  
  
The crowd becomes stunned as Kenshi stands over Mike, who is still alive but in a lot of pain.  
  
"The winner........Kenshi!" cried the announcer. The crowd begins to cheer and applaud with excitement.  
  
The brunette agent looks at Kenshi as he tilts his head upwards holding his weapon in his hand. She was amazed that for a blind man, he fought well.  
  
***  
  
Three Hours Later.......  
  
The three agents show their badges to security guards as they make their way through the backstage area of the arena. They are on their way to see the new Sword Fighting Champion Kenshi.  
  
"They said his room is down here," the blond agent said.  
  
"Ta da!" the male agent said. He points to one of the brown doors with Kenshi's name on it. "Here we are."  
  
He knocks on the door. A minute later, the door opens revealing Kenshi. He was still wearing his red blindfold, but was now wearing a white shirt and white pants, which were old looking and torn.  
  
"Sorry if we're interrupting anything," said the male agent. "The three of us here are with Special Forces."  
  
"Special Forces?" asked Kenshi with confusion. "What do they want with me?"  
  
"We've heard a lot about you," said the blond woman. "My name is Agent Sonya Blade."  
  
Sonya takes his hand and they shake.  
  
"I'm Agent Jackson Briggs, but you can call me Jax," the man said. The two shake hands. When Jax removes his hand, Kenshi's hand is still out.  
  
"Isn't there a third person?" Kenshi asked.  
  
Jax and Sonya turn to the brunette agent. She has been staring into space, probably daydreaming.  
  
"You there?" Jax asked her with a little laugh.  
  
"Oh," the brunette cried out with embarrassment. She takes Kenshi's hand. "I'm Agent Alexandra Walker, but you can call me Alex."  
  
"Hi," Kenshi replied.  
  
"Anyways," Jax said. "Special Forces have learned about your skills and we would like to have you with us."  
  
"We want you in as a free agent," said Sonya. "Right now we are developing the Outerworld Investigation Agency. We have two others involved in the project; Agent Cyrax and Agent Hsu Hao who is part of the Chinese Secret Military. We're building a portal, which will help us access to every inter-realm."  
  
The last sentence caught Kenshi's attention. A portal with access to every inter-realm? he thought. Maybe I can find Shang that way.   
  
"I'll aid you," Kenshi replied. "Where is your base?"  
  
"In the next county," replied Jax. "About a half hour from here. We will be leaving soon."  
  
"I'll join you in a few minutes," Kenshi replied.  
  
The agents nod and begin to make their way out, except Agent Alex. She stood there for another brief moment looking at Kenshi. Then, she begins to leave.  
  
"Alex?" she heard Kenshi say. She turns around and looks at him in surprise.  
  
"How did you know it was me?" she asked.  
  
"Just a guess, I felt your presence. I can also sense that you are thinking about something."  
  
Alex smirks. Indeed he was correct. She slowly walks over to him. "Nothing really. Just that for someone with ability to see, I give you all the credit in the world and you're an amazing and talented swordsman."  
  
Kenshi only knew this woman for only a couple of minutes, but she indeed flattered him. "Um, thanks."  
  
Alex quietly sighs. "Do you need any help with carrying your stuff?"  
  
Kenshi slowly walks back to his dressing room and picks up a red duffle bag and his sword case. "Nah. This is all I have, but even if I have more luggage, it's not right for a lady to carry a man's bag."  
  
Alex smiled. "Trust me, I'm used to it. At least let me help you get out of here."  
  
Kenshi nods and puts out his left hand. Alex slowly takes it into hers and they begin to make their way out of the coliseum.  
  
Alex began to earn Kenshi's trust, but Kenshi is not taking full advantage of it just yet. The last time he let himself trust someone easily, they took his vision away and Kenshi will not let that happen again. 


	3. Ch 2 The Agency

Chapter Two: The Agency  
  
(A Dream)  
  
Kenshi could hear shrieks. He could see green-colored winds.  
  
"Thank you for letting me have the souls of the Warrior Kings, Kenshi,"  
  
he heard the deep voice say. It was followed by an evil laugh. Then, a sword rips through the green-colored winds causing it to split in half. Then, he could hear the loud shrieks again from the souls, calling out Kenshi's name.  
  
What is this? Kenshi asked himself.  
  
Then, Shang appears in front of him. Kenshi fills with anger. "You!"  
  
Shang laughs. "Die fool!" He takes out his sword and jabs it quickly at Kenshi.  
  
(End of Dream)  
  
Kenshi sits up in fast speed as his alarm clock goes off. Kenshi could feel his sweat pouring down his face and he breathes heavily, his body shaking.  
  
Why do I have these dreams? he thought.  
  
He reaches for his alarm. When he finds it, he pushes a button and the alarm immediately shuts off.  
  
8 o'clock, he thought remembering what time he had it set for. He lies back down and wipes the sweat off his face. The sun shines through the window of his new room at the Special Forces Headquarters. Of course, Kenshi could only see darkness, nothing else.  
  
After a few minutes, Kenshi gets up from his bed and begins to get ready for his day. After a hot shower, he dresses into the armor suit he wore at last night's fight. Then, he grabs his red blindfold and places it over his colorless eyes. Then, he takes his katana out of his case and slips it in the pocket behind his back. As soon as he releases the sword, he starts to sense the locations of the headquarters. Then, he makes his way out the door.  
  
As he makes his way out, Jax emerges out of his room. He sees the swordsman walking down the hallway.  
  
"Kenshi!" Jax cried out catching up to the new free agent. "How is everything here?"  
  
"Fine," Kenshi replied. "So what is going on now?"  
  
"There is going to be a meeting today about the agency. General Simon White will be discussing more about the project. Right now, I'm meeting up with Agent Cyrax for breakfast. Do you want to join us?"  
  
Kenshi is not much of a breakfast person, but as soon as Jax mentioned it, he could feel his stomach growling.  
  
"I suppose," Kenshi answered.  
  
The two agents head towards the cafeteria. Waiting outside was a black and yellow cyborg, half human and half robot.  
  
"Morning Cyrax," said Jax.  
  
"Morning," Cyrax said in his robotic tone.  
  
"Agent Cyrax is a robot?" Kenshi asked.  
  
"A cyborg actually," Jax replied. "He was originally made as a soulless assassin in a group called Lin Kuei, which is now rumored to be a force for good. Special Forces were able to restore his soul and he has agreed to help us with the new agency." He looks at Cyrax. "So, what's for breakfast?"  
  
Cyrax shrugs. "I didn't check the menu yet."  
  
The three of them walk into the cafeteria. After choosing what they want to eat, they walk towards an empty table in the middle of the cafeteria and sit down.  
  
"How is the Black Dragon Investigation?" Cyrax asked.  
  
"We managed to capture everyone," replied Jax. "Well, except Kano. Agent Hsu Hao has been a big help with ending the Black Dragon clan once and for all. All we have to do now is capture Kano. Hsu Hao volunteered to help with the new agency as well."  
  
"I still have a bad feeling about him," Cyrax said. "I feel as though he's up to something."  
  
"You think so?" Jax asked.  
  
Cyrax nods.  
  
"What do you think he's up to?" Kenshi asked.  
  
"I'm not sure, but I'll try to find out."  
  
After a minute of silence, Jax speaks again. "Where are Sonya and Alex?"  
  
"I spoke with Sonya this morning," Cyrax replied. "She and Alex are in the weight room and will eat in a couple of hours."  
  
The mentioning of Alex made Kenshi's head tilt up a little bit. He remembered the nice things she did for him when they first met.  
  
***  
  
General Simon White stands in front of the six agents.  
  
"The agency is almost complete," White said. "When it is complete, we can finally find out what is going on in Outworld. Rumor has it that there is some evil lurking there once again. If this is true, Special Forces will prevent it, just like how we prevented Shao Kahn's invasion."  
  
The six agents, Jax, Sonya, Cyrax, Kenshi, Alex, and Hsu Hao, all nod.  
  
"Would we go at once?" asked Jax.  
  
"No," White replied. "Jax, Sonya, Hsu Hao, you're the only three with more experiences with investigations. Cyrax, you've only been here a month, Alex, you've been here three weeks, and Kenshi, you've only got here yesterday."  
  
"But sir, didn't we agree that Kenshi would be a free agent?" asked Sonya.  
  
White sighs. "I apologize, I almost forgot about that." He looks at Kenshi. "If we do decide to let you in on the mission, are you sure that you are up to it?"  
  
Kenshi nods. "Yes sir."  
  
Alex, who stood next to Kenshi, looks over at him. He sounded a bit eagered about the mission.  
  
No one would be, she thought. There must be a reason why he's like this. No one wants to deal with Outworld.   
  
When Alex first joined Special Forces as an official agent, Sonya had told her stories about Outworld. Alex herself never wants to go there, but with General White's words, she'll most likely not have to worry about it.  
  
"When the agency is ready," White continued. "I think we'll only send one of you out first. God forbid anything happens, then we'll send the rest of you in."  
  
Everyone nods except Hsu Hao. The redness in his pupils glow with no emotions in it.  
  
***  
  
Every once in a while in his life, Kenshi would fall into a state of depression. Hours after the meeting, Kenshi lays on his bed thinking through everything.  
  
Kenshi's parents died when he was a teen. Since then, Kenshi traveled to learn more about his ancestors and took up sword fighting. He had always been lonely, leaving him with the feeling that no one cared about him. Becoming a swordsman was what kept him going.  
  
When he became blind, he had vowed to not let it get in his way. Sometimes though, he became frustrated about not being able to see, especially when he makes a mistake when fighting.  
  
He also constantly blames himself for letting Shang Tsung take his ancestors' souls. He couldn't believe that he fell for their captor's trickery.  
  
Sometimes, Kenshi feels like giving up, but he made a promise to free his ancestors and become the best swordsman. He is willing to keep those promises. Now they are the two things that keep him going.  
  
What would happen afterwards? Kenshi thought. Then he lets out a sigh. I don't have anything else to live for.   
  
Then, he hears the door knock.  
  
Who could that be? he thought. He slowly gets up and feels his way to the door. He opens the door.  
  
"Kenshi?" he heard a female voice say.  
  
Kenshi recognizes the voice. "Alex?"  
  
"Yes it's me," Alex replied. "I haven't seen you since the meeting so I thought I'd stop by and say hi."  
  
Kenshi becomes a bit shock by this. He's never met anyone who wants to see him just to say hi.  
  
"Um, hi," he replied.  
  
Alex shrugs. "Well, it's eight o'clock. Do you want to get something to eat at the cafeteria?"  
  
Once again, Kenshi could feel his stomach growl. He hasn't eaten anything since breakfast.  
  
"All right," Kenshi replied putting out his left hand. Alex smirks and takes his hand into hers once again.  
  
As Alex leads him towards the cafeteria, more thoughts play in Kenshi's head.  
  
Why is she being so kind to me? he thought. She's been like this since yesterday.   
  
Later, the two of them sit together with their meals in front of them. Alex looks at Kenshi. "So where do you come from?" she asked with curiosity in her voice.  
  
Kenshi tilts his head down. "You seem to be curious about me ever since yesterday."  
  
Alex looks down. "I apologize."  
  
"It's all right. You have the right to be curious."  
  
Alex tilts her head back up. "It's hard to explain, really. I mean, how do you fight while you're, um, well........."  
  
"Blind?" Kenshi answered. "Don't be afraid to say it."  
  
"All right."  
  
Kenshi continues. "My katana helps me. It gives me better senses. It's actually a resting place of the souls of the Warrior Kings. I happen to be a descendent."  
  
"Your sword?" Alex said. "No wonder it glows during battle."  
  
Kenshi nods. In the past, people mentioned to him that his katana would glow a red color just before and during a fight.  
  
"So it was a tomb for the Warrior Kings?" Alex continued. "So their spirits guide you."  
  
"You could say that," Kenshi replied. "Except they're not there anymore."  
  
"Not there? What happened?"  
  
Kenshi sighs. "I......I don't want to talk about it."  
  
Alex places a hand over his. "When you're ready to talk about it, let me know."  
  
Kenshi nods. Then, he lets himself feel her hand on his. They were smooth and silky. He smirked a little, liking the feeling. When Alex removed her hand, Kenshi felt a bit disappointment.  
  
After dinner, they walk back to Kenshi's room.  
  
"Thank you for joining me for dinner," said Alex.  
  
"You're welcome," Kenshi replied. He moves his hand into his pocket to get out his single key, which leads to his room.  
  
"Alex?"  
  
"Yes Kenshi?"  
  
"How come you have been kind to me?"  
  
Alex felt a bit shocked about this question, but she manages to answer. "I was told that you don't trust people easily. I want to show you that you can trust me. I really want your trust."  
  
Kenshi only answers with a nod.  
  
"Good night," Alex finally said. Then, Kenshi could hear her footsteps walk farther away from him.  
  
***  
  
Alex enters her room and turns on her light. As she begins to get ready for bed, all she could think about is Kenshi.  
  
I just hope that I can earn his trust, she thought. I do like him.   
  
The last thought startled her. Alex?! You've only known him for one day! How could you think that?   
  
Alex sighs a little as she lets herself fall on to her bed. Could it be true? Could I possibly be falling for him? All I want is to earn his trust as a friend, but more than that?   
  
Meanwhile, Kenshi has his own thoughts.  
  
She's been a nice woman, he thought. Sonya's nice, but Alex is a different story. No one has ever shown me kindness like she has.   
  
As he drifts off to sleep, Kenshi finds himself looking forward for Alex to be in his presence again. 


	4. Ch 3 The Robbery

Chapter Three: The Robbery  
  
Three days later........  
  
"Just a few more notches!" cried Jax. "Then it will finally be complete."  
  
Jax and the other agents stand in front of an in-ground door a mile away from the main base. Behind the door leads to an underground chamber where the portal is located.  
  
"This is great," General White said. "This portal will take us to every realm that exists!" Then he turns to Jax. "I'll be choosing you to run this agency. The only order I'll be giving you right now is when this is all ready, send someone to Outworld. I want them to see if there are any evil activities going on."  
  
"Yes, sir," Jax replied.  
  
A little while later, Jax returns to the base. Sonya catches up with him.  
  
"So you're running the Outerworld Investigation Agency?" Sonya asked. "Who do you think you'll choose to send to Outworld?"  
  
Jax shrugs. "I'm not sure, but I do know that it's not going to be Alex. She's a good agent so far, but I feel that she needs more experience."  
  
"I see," Sonya replied. She remembered when she first joined Special Forces. She was a woman in her mid-twenties and wasn't assigned to any good missions until she was accidentally lead to the first Mortal Kombat tournament while chasing Kano down.  
  
Then again, Alex isn't that much younger than Sonya. Alex had some investigation experience before, but not as gruesome as this could be.  
  
"I don't think I'll choose Hsu Hao either," Jax continued. "I still have a bad feeling about him."  
  
"You and Cyrax always talk about him. What gives?"  
  
Jax looks out the window. "Well, while we were working on the Black Dragon, Hsu Hao was always demanding. I know soldiers do get like that, but it was the way he was doing it......in a way that makes me suspicious. Cyrax saw it too."  
  
"It could be part of the Chinese Secret Military," Sonya guessed. "They don't call it a secret military for nothing."  
  
"I suppose," Jax sighed. "But I still have a bad feeling about him."  
  
Sonya walks over next to him and stares out the window. "What about Kenshi?"  
  
"Not yet," Jax replied. "Although I could change my mind by the time the portal is ready. Cyrax would be a good choice. We did restore his soul, so he'll probably take the task. He did pledge his loyalty to us."  
  
"So Cyrax it is?" Sonya asked.  
  
Jax nods.  
  
***  
  
Alex was the only one working out in the weight room. She performed some Kenpo moves Sonya taught her against the punching bag.  
  
Although she was only a beginner with any fighting moves, Alex was very fast with learning them. Jax was teaching her Judo as well.  
  
She punches and kicks at the bags furiously.  
  
Then, when she gives the bag a final kick, Cyrax comes into the room. Alex turns to him.  
  
"Hey Cyrax," Alex said. "What brings you here?"  
  
"Bored out of my mind," Cyrax replied. He heads towards a treadmill. He turns it on and begins running at a high pace.  
  
"I see what you mean," Alex replied heading towards the treadmill next to Cyrax. She turns it on and walks in a fast pace.  
  
"So while you're here," Cyrax said. "What's up with you and Kenshi?"  
  
That caught Alex in surprise. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Hey, I may be a cyborg, but I know a good interaction between two people when I see it! You and Kenshi have been around each other a lot the last four days. Something's cooking between you two."  
  
"Oh yeah," Alex replied. "There's something cooking between those cyborg toes of yours."  
  
Cyrax looks down at his feet. Smoke starts coming out of his feet. He immediately shuts the treadmill off.  
  
"Crap, not again." He walks over to a bench, sits down, and examines his feet. "It happens every time I go at fast speed."  
  
"Maybe you should run at a lower pace for now on," Alex replied.  
  
That's when both of them sense another person coming in. They turn towards the entrance and see Kenshi come in.  
  
"Who's in there?" Kenshi asked sensing people around.  
  
"Cyrax," Cyrax replied. "And Alex."  
  
Kenshi could hear Alex walking on the treadmill. He walks over to her and tries not trip over anything at the same time since he doesn't have his sword with him.  
  
"What brings you here?" Alex asked. Meanwhile, Cyrax watches the both of them with delight.  
  
"Sonya told me that you would be here," Kenshi replied.  
  
"Really?" Alex asked.  
  
Kenshi nods. The last few days, Alex has been showing him more kindness. He began to trust her a little more each day.  
  
"So," Kenshi continued. "I, um, wanted to know how you're doing."  
  
Alex becomes shocked by this. It was Kenshi who is asking her this, not the other way around. Meanwhile, Cyrax is watching all of this and tries not to laugh.  
  
Because of her shock, she ends up tripping over her own feet and falls backwards. Kenshi hears this and quickly throws his arms under to catch her. He succeeded as he felt her body fall into his arms. His right arm was around her back, and expected his left arm around her knees, but the firm flesh in his left hand indicated to him that they sure hell weren't knees.  
  
"Oh!" Alex cried out feeling his hand on her rear.  
  
Kenshi gasps and slid his arms towards her knees. At this point, Cyrax was down on the ground laughing hysterically.  
  
Kenshi lifts Alex up. "Alex, I......."  
  
"It's okay," Alex said with a smile. "I know you didn't mean it."  
  
Kenshi finds himself smirking. Alex takes note of this.  
  
If only he could see my smile.   
  
"Say," Alex said. "Let's get out of this base. I know of a restaurant we can go to."  
  
"All right," Kenshi replied. He begins walking out the door.  
  
"Um, Kenshi, I can walk." It was followed by a little giggle.  
  
"Right," Kenshi answered realizing that he still has Alex in his arms. He gently puts her down and she leads him out of the weight room, but not before kicking Cyrax's side.  
  
"Owe!" he gasped.  
  
***  
  
After dinner, Kenshi and Alex return to base. They go into Alex's room.  
  
"Great restaurant," Kenshi said. "What was it called again?"  
  
"R & J's Steakhouse," Alex replied taking off her jacket. "I've been going there since I was little girl. Heck, I'm thirty-two years old now and I still go there."  
  
"Well, it's a place you love to go to," Kenshi said. He searches for someplace to sit. He ends up finding her bed and sits down.  
  
"What places do you love to go to?" Alex asked.  
  
Kenshi shrugs. "I've been to so many places, I can't really pick one, but sometimes, I like to mainly go to the House of Pekara.  
  
"House of Pekara?" Alex asked. She walks over and sits next to him.  
  
"It's above where I found my sword. It's located in Asia and it's where my ancestors are buried. It's where I would go to relax."  
  
"Alex leans over towards him a little. "You really like discovering about the past."  
  
Kenshi could smell the sweet perfume Alex was wearing. It made his head spin a little, but not the way that would him feel sick.  
  
"Um, yes," Kenshi managed to say. "It's just something I've been interested in since I want to become the best swordsman."  
  
"And you are the best swordsman," Alex said.  
  
"I know, but there's one challenge that I need for me to know that. I.........I just need to travel to Outworld."  
  
Alex becomes shocked by this. So this was why he was so eagered about traveling to Outworld.   
  
"Why Outworld?" Alex asked with concern. It was then that she noticed that a strand of his dark hair hung over his forehead. She takes her fingers and brushes it back up.  
  
This caused Kenshi to tilt his head up a little in reaction.  
  
Alex giggled a little seeing how cute he was acting. "I was just fixing your hair."  
  
Kenshi smirks with a little embarrassment. "Oh, um, thank you."  
  
"Anytime," Alex replied.  
  
"So about Outworld, let's just say that there's somebody there who I need to have a duel with."  
  
Alex stays silent. She decided not to ask any more questions about it.  
  
"You think this is boring, is it?" Kenshi asked.  
  
"Oh, no, no!" Alex answered in shock. "I'm actually interested in this."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
It was then that Alex realized how close her face was to his. The desire to kiss him starts to consume her.  
  
Kenshi could feel her breath on his cheek. Then, he could sense her coming closer to him. It was then that he realized that Alex was leaning in to kiss him.  
  
Should I? he asked himself, but then he finds himself parting his lips and getting ready to welcome her kiss.  
  
Just when their lips were just about to touch, they both jump at the same time as they hear someone bashing on the door. Alex gets up and opens the door. On the other side is Jax.  
  
"Agent Jax!" Alex cried.  
  
"Get your gun," Jax said. "There's a robbery at a bank. We think Kano's involved."  
  
"Kano?" Alex asked.  
  
"Yeah! Let's go!" Then Jax notices Kenshi. "Kenshi, come with us in case we need backup."  
  
"Right," Kenshi said getting up.  
  
They make a run towards the exit, but not before Kenshi makes a quick stop to get his sword. The three agents go outside and jump into a truck where th other agents were in including Sonya.  
  
"What makes them think it's Kano?" asked Alex.  
  
"One of the witnesses described the metallic implant on his face," said Sonya. "It's Kano for sure."  
  
As they drove, Alex let herself think just for a minute about the close kiss she had with Kenshi.  
  
Damn that Kano! she thought.  
  
The trucks get to the bank within five minutes. When the Special Forces get out, the local police already there told them that Kano has escaped.  
  
"How could you let him escape?!!" Sonya cried out in anger. "You local police can't do anything right!!"  
  
As Sonya let out her anger, Alex then saw a light with the corner of her eye. She turns around. From a distance, she sees a person in the woods watching the scene. Then, she noticed the metal on his face.  
  
Kano.  
  
Alex slowly walks over towards Kano while he wasn't looking. Kenshi sensed her missing presence.  
  
Where is she? he thought. He takes out his sword and begins to follow Alex.  
  
Alex was ten yards away when Kano noticed her. She quickly takes out her gun.  
  
"Police!" she cried. Kano runs away. Alex tries to shoot at him, but the trees blocked her target.  
  
"Get back here!" Alex begins running though the woods. She ran about two hundred yards before finally catching up with Kano. She makes a quick leap and manages to knock him down.  
  
"Get off of me!" Kano growled.  
  
"Yeah right," Alex said. "You're under arrest."  
  
As Alex tries to get out her handcuffs, a laser comes out of Kano's red eye burning into her skin.  
  
"AAAHHHH!!!!!" Alex cried out. She jumps back and begins rolling down a hill. She stops at the bottom. She tries to get back up, but the intense pain in her shoulder made it hard to do so.  
  
"Damn it!" she cried. She looked at her wound. Blood was gushing out of it. Trying her best to ignore it, she starts climbing back up the hill.  
  
A minute later, she could hear someone running through the woods. Then, she heard a familiar voice cry, "Alex!"  
  
Alex looks up. "Kenshi!"  
  
Kenshi senses her location and runs over to her. "What happened?"  
  
"I saw Kano and......." Alex moves her arm feeling more pain. "Ahh!"  
  
"You're hurt," Kenshi said hearing her cry out in pain.  
  
"He shot a laser at me," Alex replied. She takes Kenshi's hand and placews it over her wound.  
  
Kenshi gasps as he feels the blood coming out of Alex.  
  
"I have nothing to clean it with." Kenshi then takes off his red blindfold and wraps it around her wound.  
  
Alex looks up at Kenshi. It was the first time that she has seen his colorless eyes. Kenshi could sense her looking at his face. He bends his head down a little feeling a bit of shame.  
  
Alex places a hand on Kenshi's face. "Don't be ashamed. I know that it's still you deep inside."  
  
Kenshi's self-esteem lifted from that comment. For the first time in years, he cracks a little smile.  
  
"Let's get you back," Kenshi said. He takes Alex into his arms and carries her back to where everyone else is. 


	5. Ch 4 The Dance

The next day, Alex lied on her bed recovering from the wound she received from Kano. The doctors had told her that the wound is not life threatening. All she really needed was to have it stitched up.

Sonya came into the room that morning. "How are you?" she asked.

Alex looked at her shoulder. "I'm all right now." The she started to feel a bit of shame. "Sonya, I'm really sorry. I thought that I could stop him myself."

Sonya smirked a little. "Don't worry about it. Just consult us next time."

Alex nodded.

Sonya sat down in a chair. "You know what's scary? If Kenshi hadn't known that you were missing, you would've bled to death. He has such amazing senses."

"Yeah," Alex said.

Sonya noticed the way Alex just said that. It was like in a way that Alex agreed with her because she, well, seemed to have a thing for Kenshi.

"Speaking of Kenshi," Sonya continued. "There are two things I noticed between you two. Every time he's mentioned to you, you get all like, um, weird."

"Weird? How?"

"Like...like you have a crush on him or something."

Alex sighed. "I kind of do, but I don't think Kenshi would feel the same way."

"Which brings me to the second thing I've noticed. The two of you have been around each other a lot since Kenshi came to Special Forces. Plus, he stayed with you throughout the time he found you in the woods until the time you came back here last night. Alex, I think he cares about you too."

"You think so?" Alex asked.

Sonya got up. "Yeah. Hey, there's going to be a business party next week. It's a party that Special Forces throws every year for all of the success it's been through throughout the year."

"Sounds like fun," Alex said. "You said it's next week? I'm sure to fully recover by then." 

Later that afternoon, Kenshi and Jax are playing a game of pool in the Special Forces lodge.

Jax hit the white ball, which rolled to the other side of the pool table. It hit a stripped blue ball, but it only rolled a couple of times before stopping.

"A party?" Kenshi asked after Jax told him about the yearly Special Forces party.

"Yeah," Jax replied. "Unfortunately, it's one of those fancy things where women dress in evening gowns and men wear tuxedos. I can't even fit into the sleeves of the tuxedos because of my arms."

"Um," Kenshi said. "Have you ever thought about taking those cyber metals off of your arms?"

"NEVER!" Jax cried. "I have strength because of these! I would never take them off!"

"Whatever you say."

Kenshi aimed the white ball with his pool stick. Then, he hit the ball. Perfectly, the ball rolled towards a solid green ball, hits it, and rolled into a hole in one of the corner holes.

"Any ways," said Jax. "Do you have a tuxedo to wear?"

Kenshi shook his head. "All I have is my armor suit and this." He pointed to his torn white shirt and pants.

Jax raised an eyebrow. "No offense, but you need a new wardrobe. I hate shopping, but I guess we might as well shop for new clothes for you. It's better than going with Sonya, trust me."

Kenshi laughed a little. Jax continued. "Heh, you want to impress Alex, do you?"

"What are you talking about?"

Jax hit the white ball, which rolled around and didn't even hit anything. "Come on, Kenshi. You two are made for each other. You're around each other every chance the two of you get."

Kenshi swallowed. "Well, I do like her, but I'm not sure about any more than that."

"You're kidding right?" Jax asked. "Guess you haven't realized your feelings for her yet."

"Why haven't I realized?" Kenshi asked aiming the ball.

Jax sighed. "You'll figure it out."

Then, Kenshi hit the ball. The ball hit the remaining solid balls and they all go into the holes. Then, the white ball hit the eight ball and fell into a corner hole.

"You suck!" Jax cried realizing that Kenshi won the pool game.

"I suck? How could I suck when I won the game? You're the one who sucks!"

Jax lightly punched Kenshi's arm. "Well, any ways, just think about it."

"About what?"

"You and Alex."

"Jax...it's not like that."

"Maybe not now," Jax replied. "But soon it will be." Jax laughed a little bit.

Kenshi sighed. '_Maybe I really can't admit to myself that I like Alex like that. Who knows.'_

One week later...

Alex looked at herself through a mirror. It was the first time in years that she's actually dressed more like a girl instead of her usually tomboyish clothes. This time, she wore a light blue evening gown and wore her dark hair up in a single bun. This is all because tonight is the Special Forces Dinner Party.

As she waited for Sonya, Alex walked over to her chair and sat down in it. Many thoughts filled her mind.

_'Why am I dressed up any ways?'_ she thought. '_Who is it that I'm trying to impress?'  
_  
The truth is that the only person she waned to impress was blind.

_'I wonder what would've happened if Kenshi wasn't blind?'_ Alex thought. '_Would I really attempt to look better?_ '

She let out a sigh. Her mother once told her that looks aren't everything and it's what's inside that counts. Sometimes, Alex believed that, and sometimes, she doesn't. Tonight, she found herself stuck between that.

_'Oh well_,' she thought once more.

Then, she heard the door knock. Alex turned her head towards the door. "Sonya?"

The door opened. Indeed it was Sonya. She wore a simple black evening gown and left her shoulder-length blond hair down.

"Hey Alex," Sonya said with a smile. "Are you ready?"

Alex stood up from her chair. "I'm ready."

As they headed towards the party room, Alex thought that extremely boring music would be playing, like an orchestra or a jazz band. As she and Sonya reached the ballroom, she was surprised to hear a live DJ playing real dance music.

"Wow," Alex said. "I didn't think that they would play this type of music!"

"Oh we do," Sonya replied. "If not, I don't think there would be any party here at all."

"I see." Alex began to look around the ballroom. Everyone seemed to be having tons of fun; dancing to the music, talking and chatting, and mostly getting drunk.

"That's funny," said Sonya. "Usually, Jax would get here first before I would."

"He's probably still trying to get his tuxedo jacket over those bulky arms of his," replied Alex. Sonya laughed at the comment.

Alex turned around and noticed Hsu Hao standing by the punch stand. A chill ran up her spine. He stood there in an eerie way, like he was spying on someone.

_'Maybe Jax and Cyrax are right,'_ she thought. '_Maybe Hsu Hao is up to something.'_

Alex turned her head again. She saw Cyrax coming into the ballroom. She almost laughed when she saw that he was wearing a tuxedo with a yellow cumber bum.

"Cyrax, you made it!" Alex cried as she walked over to her cyborg friend.

"I never miss a party," Cyrax said. "Where's the bar?"

"Over there," Alex replied pointing to the back corner where the bar is located.

"Thanks Alex. Heineken here I come!" Cyrax began running over to the bar area.

_'I hope he won't get too drunk.'_

"Well, hopefully he'll be careful," Sonya said about Cyrax. She turned back to Alex. "So what do you want to do?"

Alex turned her head towards the stairs. Her heart fluttered a little as she spotted Kenshi coming down the stairs with Jax. His dark hair was gelled into little spikes. He wore a black tuxedo with a red cumber bum and a red bow tie. Instead of his blindfold, Kenshi wore black sunglasses over his eyes.

_'Jax must've given those to him,'_ Alex thought. "Alex?" Sonya asked waving her hand in front of Alex's face. Then, she spotted Kenshi and Jax going down the stairs. Sonya almost laughed when she saw that Jax ripped the sleeves of his tuxedo showing off his metallic arms.

"There you guys are!" Sonya said. She and Alex began walking over to the two male agents.

"Wow, you actually got here first!" Jax asked in shock.

"Yeah, we got here before you," Sonya answered. "What took so long?"

"Jax doesn't want to take off his 'arms,'" said Kenshi. "So after some struggle, he finally ripped the sleeves off."

"I had no choice!" cried Jax.

"Well," said Alex. "You could at least have them just for one night."

Kenshi smirked a little bit as he heard Alex's sweet voice. "Hey Alex."

Alex smirked. "Hey Kenshi."

Then, Pink's 'Get the Party Started' came on.

"So let's get the party started!" Jax cried out and jogged towards the dance floor.

Sonya looked at Kenshi and Alex. "Well, have fun!" Then, she followed Jax to the dance floor.

Alex laughed a little. '_I feel like I'm at my prom!'  
_  
"So, do you want to get a drink?" asked Kenshi.

"Sure," Alex said taking Kenshi's hand into her's. "I'll lead the way."

Kenshi smirked to himself as Alex leads him to the drink stands. When they get there, Alex ordered two cups of wine.

"So how's the party so far?" Kenshi asked.

Alex shrugged. "It's all right so far. I mean, it's only the beginning."

"True."

The bartender gave them their drinks. Alex took both cups and gave one to Kenshi.

"I wonder what kind of toast we can make," Kenshi said with a little smile.

"Let's see," Alex replied. "Um...to our friendship."

"Okay. To our friendship." Kenshi and Alex tap their cups together and began drinking out of them.

For some reason, Kenshi felt a bit disappointed when she said 'friendship.' '_Maybe she doesn't like me like that,'_ he thought.

For two hours, people partied and had fun. Kenshi and Alex spent most of it talking and laughing.

After all of the fast-paced songs, a slow songs came on. Alex recognized it as 'Amazed' by Lone Star.

"Have you ever danced before?" Alex asked.

Kenshi swallowed. "Nope."

Alex took his hand. "Let this be your first."

"Um..." Kenshi tried to speak, but then felt Alex pulled him up from his seat.

"Don't worry," Alex said. "All you really have to do is rock from side to side very slowly."

Alex lead Kenshi to the dance floor. She then rested her arms on his shoulders. Kenshi placed his hands on her hips.

"This is easier than I thought," Kenshi said after a moment giving Alex a little smile. "I like this."

"Glad you do," Alex replied.

Kenshi listened to the words of the song being played for a bit.

"You're quiet," Alex whispered.

Kenshi smirked. "I'm taking my time to enjoy this moment."

To his surprise, he could feel Alex bringing her body closer to him. She placed her chin on his shoulder. Kenshi wrapped his arms around her more.

Both of them danced for the rest of the song like this, even when Cyrax ran and screamed across the dance floor, obviously drunk, and knocked a few dancers down.

Kenshi could feel her heart beating against his chest. He loved the feeling of this.

_'Hopefully, I was wrong about the whole friendship thing.'_


	6. Ch 5 The Mission Begins

Chapter Five: The Mission Begins  
  
The next day, General White has announced that the portal for the Outerworld Investigation Agency has been completed. They have even tested the portal to see that it's safe for those who enter the portal and that test passed.  
  
Because Jax, Sonya, and especially Cyrax were really drunk from the party, White waited another day to bring the team in.  
  
"As you know," White said. "The portal for the OIA is completed, tested, and ready. Your team will be running the agency. One of you will be chosen by Jax to go through the portal to Outworld to report any unusual activities."  
  
"Um, General," said Sonya. "Weird things always happen there."  
  
"True, but it is believed that there is a threat in Outworld and that threat may eventually reach our Earth."  
  
"What kind of threat?" asked Alex.  
  
"That we are not sure about. That is why Jax is choosing one of you to go to Outworld and to report the activities."  
  
"How long do you think this mission will take?" asked Jax.  
  
White was silent for a brief moment before speaking again. "It depends. It could be days, it could be weeks, and it could be months."  
  
The group became silent.  
  
After a minute, White speaks again. "Jax, have you made your decision on who will enter Outworld and investigate?"  
  
"Yes, I have," Jax answered. "It took me a few days, but I have chosen Cyrax to go on this mission."  
  
"Yea!" cried Cyrax with joy. "This is my chance to pledge my loyalty to you all. I feel so honored!"  
  
"Good," said White. "Cyrax, be prepared because you are going through that portal tonight."  
  
Kenshi could sense Cyrax's excitement. He wished that Jax picked him so he could not only fell this way, but also could finally have the chance to finally slay Shang Tsung. The feeling of disappointment and a little bit of anger filled his heart.  
  
Alex looked at Kenshi. She knew that he wanted to be the one to go to Outworld. {But for what reason?} she thought. She could sense a bit of disappointment within him. She decided to comfort him after the meeting is over.  
  
General White walked over to a cabinet. He opened it revealing two arm panels.  
  
"These arm panels will help you keep in contact with us. One of these will be placed on your left arm, Cyrax, for when you leave for Outworld tonight."  
  
Within five more minutes, the meeting was over. Kenshi immediately walked out of the room. Alex ran after him.  
  
"Kenshi!" she cried out.  
  
Kenshi stopped on his tracks and slightly turned his head towards her. "Alex?"  
  
"Is everything all right?" she asked.  
  
Kenshi frowned a little bit. In his heart, he wanted to tell her the truth badly. He's never really talked about what happened ten years ago to anybody before, but he's still not sure if he's ready to tell Alex just yet.  
  
Instead, he said, "Yeah, everything's all right."  
  
Alex sighed. Just by listening to his voice proved that whatever is in Kenshi's mind, it's not all right. "It doesn't sound like it."  
  
"Trust me," Kenshi answered. "I'm fine."  
  
Alex slowly walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Well, it sounds like something is wrong. If you want to talk about it......"  
  
"I said I'm fine!" Kenshi cried out. The tone of his voice wasn't too harsh, but it was only harsh enough just to shut Alex up. Then, he began to walk away. Alex watched him walk down the hallway until he made it to the end of the hall and made a left turn. Alex let out a loud sigh.  
  
Alex could sense someone from behind her. Thinking that it was Jax or Sonya, Alex turned around. Then, he heart slightly skipped a beat in a bit of fear as she faced Hsu Hao.  
  
For a brief moment, the two stared at each other. Alex did her best to avoid his reddish eyes.  
  
"Hello Alex," Hsu Hao said.  
  
Alex swallowed hard. "Um, hi. Eh, some meeting, huh?"  
  
"Yes it was. This plan may become a success, but you never know what may happen on this mission. Heh." Then, he passed Alex and walked away.  
  
A shiver ran up her spine. {Jax and Cyrax are right! Hsu Hao IS up to something!}  
  
***  
  
Later when Alex met up with Jax and Sonya for dinner, she told them about her 'brief meeting' with Hsu Hao.  
  
"I knew it!!" Jax shouted. "Hsu Hao IS up to something!!"  
  
"Calm down, Jax," said Sonya. "We don't know for sure. It's probably just the way he acts."  
  
"Don't be so sure yourself," Jax replied. "That motherf***** will get his ass kicked if my suspicions are right."  
  
"Just talk to General White," Alex said. "Maybe he'll write up a report and look into it more."  
  
"I suppose." Jax looked down at his tray. "I could do it right now. I think I pretty much lost my appetite after this conversation."  
  
"All right," Alex answered.  
  
As Jax got up, Alex spotted Kenshi slowly walking around the cafeteria with a plate of food on his tray.  
  
Sonya saw him as well. She turned to Alex and smiled at her. "Um, maybe I should go with Jax." She got up taking her tray with her.  
  
"Sonya!" Alex cried but Sonya was already by the trashcans.  
  
"Jax, wait!" Sonya cried as she caught up to her Special Forces partner.  
  
Kenshi used his senses to find someplace to sit and eat his dinner. He could smell the different senses of the people around him. Then, he ended up smelling the familiar sweet aroma from someone nearby......  
  
Alex.  
  
Alex watched as Kenshi made his way over to her table.  
  
"Hey Alex," he said.  
  
Alex's mouth dropped open a little. {It's like he's not blind at all!} "How did you............."  
  
"Find you? Everyone has a different scent from others. You're scent is so sweet, it's hard to describe."  
  
Alex blushed a little feeling a bit flattered about Kenshi's comment. "Um, thank you."  
  
Then, Kenshi sighed. "Listen, I'm sorry if I was a bit harsh on you before."  
  
"It's okay. I'm the one who should be sorry. I pushed you a little too hard to tell me what's wrong. I guess whatever it is, it's none of my business."  
  
Kenshi placed a hand on Alex's hand. Alex smirked a little enjoying the warmth of his hand on hers.  
  
"After dinner," Kenshi said. "We'll go to the lodge. There, I'll tell you everything."  
  
Alex nodded. "Okay."  
  
Fifteen minutes later, Kenshi and Alex walked to the lodge area in one of the Special Forces buildings. They sat on one of the couches in front of a fireplace, which was lit. No one else was in the lodge but them.  
  
After a brief silence, Kenshi sighed. "I've told you how much I wanted to go to Outworld, right?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
Kenshi let out another sigh and shook a little. Alex realized that this is something that's not going to be easy to talk about. She reached over to his hand and brought it into hers. "It's okay, just take your time."  
  
"Well, it's just that I've never told anybody about this before. Have you ever heard about Shang Tsung?"  
  
"Plenty of times," Alex replied. "Sonya and Jax have told me stories about them before."  
  
Kenshi continued. "Well, I sort of met up with him ten years ago in Japan after I won a duel. He was disguised as an old man named Song and offered me a katana, but I had to go with him to China where the sword was located. It turned out that it was located underneath House of Pekara, where my ancestors were buried. It was in a well covered by a rock and after I took it off, souls flashed right out." He tugged his blindfold a little. "That left me permanently blinded. Shang took those souls, which are the souls of my ancestors. He left me there to die, but the sword somehow guided me out."  
  
"And Shang lives in Outworld!" Alex replied. "That's why you're eager to go there!"  
  
Kenshi nodded. "Since I became blind, I only have one goal.......to redeem myself, slay Shang, and free my ancestors. All I had to do is find access to Outworld. When you, Jax, and Sonya came along and told me about the OIA, I knew that this was my chance. But when Jax chose Cyrax to go to Outworld, I pretty much lost all hope."  
  
"Maybe you'll get another chance," Alex answered. "There are two arm panels available and if Cyrax needs help, hopefully, Jax will send you out to help him."  
  
"I hope so," Kenshi replied. "Don't forget, he has other candidates too. You, Hsu Hao, Sonya, and even Jax himself."  
  
"Hey there," Alex said. "I don't think Jax would send ME. I'm still pretty new to everything. Hsu Hao is not exactly the most trustworthy person at the moment, even though he's one of the Chinese Secret Military's best. Jax could make himself go, but he runs the agency and could stay to make sure everything is under control. It is possible that Sonya would be sent to Outworld. She has been with Special Forces for years. I'd say that you have a 50/50 chance of going. Just keep your hopes up, but not too much because you might not get picked."  
  
Kenshi squeezed her hand a little. "Thank you, Alex. You've given me more hope to reach my goals."  
  
"No problem."  
  
***  
  
At nine o'clock at night, Jax, Sonya, Kenshi, Alex, Hsu Hao, and General White meet in the underground chamber of the Special Forces base. Tonight, Cyrax will be going through the portal to Outworld.  
  
Jax placed the arm panel on Cyrax's left arm. "The green button here will keep you in contact with us," he explained. "And when you need to return to Earth, press this yellow button."  
  
"Gotcha," said Cyrax.  
  
"Do you have everything you need Cyrax?" asked Sonya.  
  
Cyrax pointed to his backpack. "Yup."  
  
"I hate to do this," said General White. "But I need to search through the bag."  
  
"Okay," Cyrax said handing White the backpack.  
  
White opened the backpack and searched through it. "Okay, you have enough food and water to survive for a month, flashlight, batteries, handgun, extra bullets, your Pulse Blade...........a bottle of Heineken?!"  
  
"Eh..........." Cyrax said. "It's for celebration time if this mission is a success."  
  
"That can wait until you come back to Earth," Jax said taking the bottle away.  
  
"NOOO!!!" Cyrax cried out.  
  
Jax opened the bottle. "I'm thirsty any ways." He chugged down the beer.  
  
"JAX!!" Sonya cried out putting her hands on her hips and narrowed her blue eyes at Jax.  
  
"What?! I'm thirsty!"  
  
"Well," said White. "Let's get this portal set up. Cyrax, are you sure that you are ready for this?"  
  
"Ready and waiting," Cyrax replied stepping into the portal chamber. The chamber could fit only one person with four corners made out of metal with claw-like points pointing down towards the center. Next to it was a machine, which controls the portal.  
  
After Cyrax got in, Jax locked the glass door of the chamber and then he turned on the machine. Everyone could hear the humming noise coming out of it.  
  
Kenshi stood there and listened to the noise coming out of the chamber. Although he was still disappointed about not receiving the opportunity to go to Outworld, he started to feel a bit confident about the upcoming mission. He hoped that whatever is going on in Outworld will be taken care of soon.  
  
Alex looked over at Kenshi. She smirked as she saw a tiny smirk on his face. "You seem better now," she whispered to him.  
  
Kenshi tilted his head towards her. "What you said before gave me a bit of confident about this mission. Hopefully, we can take care of whatever's going on."  
  
"I hope so too," Alex replied.  
  
The humming noise became louder and louder. Everyone jumped when a blue- like energy began to surround Cyrax. No one could see him. When the energy disappeared, Cyrax disappeared with it.  
  
"Let the mission begin," Jax said out loud. 


	7. Ch 6 The Feelings

Three days have passed since Cyrax went through the portal to Outworld. Twice a day, he would contact Special Forces to let them know what's going on. At the moment, nothing was found yet in Outworld.

Sonya sat in her office going though some paperwork. Some of it was about the OIA, some it was other cases including Kano. She hasn't seen him since the robbery two weeks ago at the local bank.

_'I wonder if I could try to find Kano again,'_ Sonya thought.

She reached her hand to her head and grabbed a lock of her blond hair. The lock was shorter than the rest of her hair. She thought about that one gruesome night that occurred a few years ago...

(Flashback)

The dark clouds covered the sky and the rain fell hard on the tall buildings. On top of a fifty-story building stood two people. Both were bleeding from the battle that was still going on.

"It's over Kano! You and I both know that it's over!"

Kano spitted blood out of his mouth. "Sonya," he said in his Australian accent. "It's not over...until you're dead!"

He ran over to Sonya and threw a punch at her. She blocked the move and attempted to slug him. Kano blocked the move and then got down and performed a sweep-kick knocking Sonya off of her feet.

Sonya laid there feeling weak from the bloody battle. '_I don't think I'll make it,'_ she thought. She closed her eyes as she began to lose hope.

Kano reached to his side and took out his butterfly knife. "It ends here, Sonya. I win. You lose."

Sonya quickly shook her head. '_NO! I can't lose! He killed Agent Sparky, my partner! I can't let him get away with it!'  
_  
Just before Kano raised his knife, Sonya quickly got to her feet. Using all of her strength, she kicked Kano right in the stomach. Kano stumbled back and reached his hand out. He only managed to grab a lock of Sonya's blond hair and pulled it right out from her scalp. Then, he stumbled off of the edge of the building and began to plummet to his death.

Sonya ignored the sharp pain in her head as she ran over to the edge and watched Kano fall fifty stories. Then, she could hear his bones breaking as he landed hard on the pavement below. For a minute, Sonya stared at him and he didn't move.

She reached over to her walkie-talkie and turned it on. "This is Agent Sonya Blade. The member of the Black Dragon, Kano, is dead."

(End of Flashback)

Sonya sighed. It was later that she found out that Kano was alive. Apparently, he was resurrected in Outworld.

_'I'll get you one day, you Bastard,'_ she thought. '_And I'm going to make sure that your next death is permanent!'  
_

A day of exercise, training, and paperwork drained Alex's energy right out of her for the day. It was seven o'clock when she entered her room and collapsed on to her bed. She reached over to her CD remote and turned it on.

She laid her head against her pillow and closed her eyes. She let herself listen to the words of the music playing. Alex indeed enjoyed the soft rock from the band's music. It helped her relax and to forget all of her problems.

Then, Kenshi came to her mind. She smirked to herself as she thought about the blind swordsman.

Just before she fell into a slumber, the alarm suddenly went off startling her. Then, the door bursted open revealing Jax.

Alex looked up at the agent. "Jax! What's going on?"

"Get your gun," Jax said. "There's a gang terrorizing a neighborhood."

Alex got up, took her gun, and followed Jax out the door. They went into a truck filled with other agents, including Sonya and Kenshi. The van quickly drove off to its destination.

Ten minutes later, they reached the neighborhood. Frightened residents pointed to the location where the gang was.

"Be careful, everyone!" Jax cried. Everyone went their separate ways. Alex looked at Kenshi one more time before departing.

Kenshi took out his katana and ran down the streets. He could smell the metal of the guns and followed them.

A few minutes later, three members of a gang stepped in front of him. Kenshi stopped on his tracks as he sensed their presences.

"Hey, look at this," one guy said. "What's with the blindfold?"

"Put you guns down," Kenshi demanded. "You're under arrest."

The three men laughed. Then, one of them spoke up, "How can you catch us? Your blind! Let's get him!"

The three of them took their guns out and pulled the triggers immediately.

Kenshi used his senses to dodge all of the bullets coming towards him, letting them pass him like it was nothing.

The three thugs dropped their guns in shock. Kenshi was close enough to deliver a few punches and kicks at them. All of them fell to the ground unconscious.

"That's three down," Kenshi said.

Meanwhile, Alex looked around the alleys of the neighborhood looking for more thugs. She kept her handgun in front of her.

She looked up at the sky. The rain started falling down from the clouds. _'Damn it!'_ she thought. '_Better catch these thugs before it really pours.'_

"Hey there, foxy," she heard someone say from behind her. She growled as she quickly turned around and faced four thugs.

_'Shit,'_ Alex thought knowing that she was outnumbered.

"You're all under arrest!" she cried pointing her gun at them.

"Oh, come on, sexy," one thug said. "Put that little weapon down. We don't want to hurt you. We just want to play." He walked a little closer to her. "I guarantee that you'll have fun as well."

Alex looked at each thug carefully and she realized that none of them have guns on them. She slipped her gun back into her belt. "Sure, I'll have some fun. I hope you like dancing."

Immediately, she crouched low to the ground and performed a sweep-kick to the thug closer to her. He fell hard on to his side. The three other thugs ran towards her.

Alex performed a backward flip and managed to smack one thug under his chin with her foot. She flipped back a couple of more times. By then, the first thug she knocked down was up on his feet and chasing after her.

When the two thugs were closer, Alex turned her body 180 degrees and elbowed the third thug in the face. She then quickly extended her leg sending the fourth thug to the wall knocking him out. The third thug grabbed her from behind and the first thug ran closer to her. Alex jumped up and used both of her legs to kick the thug sending him flying back. He hit a pile of garbage pails and was knocked out as well. Then, she grabbed the thug holding her by the arms. She lifted him over her head with all of her strength and threw him to the ground head-first, knocking him out.

"As Jax would say," Alex said grinning. "That's what you get!"

What she didn't know was that the second of the four thugs was still up. He went up to her from behind, grabbed her, pulled her gun out from her belt, and aimed it to her head.

Meanwhile, Kenshi, Sonya, and Jax returned with other agents with the captured thugs.

"I believe that's all of them," said Sonya. "Are all of the agents here?"

Jax looked around and counted. He realized after counting that he was one agent short. Jax turned back to Sonya. "We're missing someone."

Kenshi used his senses to look for Alex. When he couldn't sense her anywhere nearby, he gasped.

"Alex!"

Sonya quickly turned to him. "Let's go find her."

"I'll find her," Kenshi replied. "You guys take care of everything here."

"I'm the one who usually gives out the orders," Jax said. "But are you sure you don't need our help?"

Kenshi took out his katana and began running down the street.

"I think he's sure," Sonya replied.

Meanwhile, Alex was being held by the thug. He pointed her own gun at her temple.

"I wouldn't move if I were you," the thug said.

Alex swallowed hard as she felt the coldness of her gun on her right temple. '_Oh my God!'_ she thought with terror. '_I'm going to die!'  
_  
"I would've spared your life," the thug continued. "But since you beat the crap out of us, I'll just pop one into your head and end your little life."

Alex heard the gun clicking. She tightly shut her eyes and got herself ready for her death. As she waited, Kenshi came to her mind. '_Oh God! Kenshi!'  
_  
Just a mille-second before the thug pulled the trigger, his wrist was sliced off by a sword. Alex fell to the ground as the thug was pulled away from her.

Alex looked up to see what was going on. She saw the thug being pinned against the wall by her savior Kenshi.

"This is for trying to kill her!" Kenshi yelled. He gives him a hard punch in the head knocking the thug out. Then, he tossed him in the garbage dumpster next to them and then closed the lid.

The rain began to pour down harder. Alex began to shake not from the cold, but from the shock of almost being killed.

Kenshi could sense Alex a few feet away. He ran over to her and bended down. "Alex, are you okay?" He wrapped his arm around her and he could feel her body shaking.

"I think so," Alex replied. She looked up at him. "I was fighting, but that thug got my gun and..." She suddenly found herself trying to choke back her tears. "Kenshi! I thought I was going to die! You were the last person I thought about and I thought I would never see you again!"

Kenshi brought Alex closer to him and wrapped his arms around her. Alex threw her arms around him in a tight embrace.

"It's okay now," Kenshi whispered into her ear. "They won't hurt you any more. I'm here now."

He held her close to him feeling her damp hair sticking on to his skin. He then began to wish for something he thought he would never thought up.

_'If only I knew what she looks like,'_ he thought. '_I think now, I would give anything to see her.'  
_  
Alex tried her best to hold her tears back refusing to cry. Then, she could feel her heart starting to fill with love.

_'Am I...'_ she thought, but before she could finish, Kenshi pulled his head away, but kept his arms around her.

"How are you now?" he asked with concern in his voice.

"I'm all right," Alex replied. Then, she did something she thought she would never do again since that one day in her room. She leaned her face towards him and pressed her lips against his.

As soon as she felt her lips on his, Kenshi became shocked. For a minute, he was still, not knowing what to do. Then, he relaxed himself and returned the kiss. He brought Alex up a little closer to him creating a little more passion into the kiss.

Kenshi and Alex kept their kiss going despite the pouring rain coming down hard on them. They both felt the softness of the other's lips and went into a rhythm, slowly opening and closing their mouths.

After a while of this, they both pulled back to catch their breaths. Alex placed a hand on Kenshi's face. "We better get back," she said. "The other agents will be wondering where we are."

"All right," Kenshi said. "Do you want me to carry you back?"

Alex smiled. It was childish to be carried, but she couldn't resist the call, plus she still felt a little shaken from her near encounter with death. "Sure. I don't think I can stand myself up just yet."

Kenshi smirked as he placed his sword back into its pocket behind his back. He picked Alex up and began carrying her back to where the other agents were. As she let her hero carry her, she let herself place her head on to his shoulder. She smirked as she felt Kenshi lean his head on her's and pressed his lips on to her forehead.

_'So,'_ Kenshi thought. '_This is what the beginning of love is like...'_


	8. Ch 7 The Closeness

Chapter Seven: The Closeness  
  
A week has passed since the neighborhood terrorists have been captured thanks to the Special Forces agents. Now peace has been brought back to the neighborhood.  
  
Jax said there at his desk in his office of the Special Forces base. He rubbed his eyes with his face as he thought back on last week's events. He was glad to have captured the terrorizing gang and that the neighborhood is safe. It was when he and the other agents realized that Alex was missing. He could've sent out his squads to search for her, but Kenshi had insisted that he would go look for her and that he and the other agents should take care of the rest of the business that was going on. Jax wanted to protest after a few seconds of thinking, but Kenshi was already on his way to look for Alex.  
  
Jax and Sonya sent their units back to the base to question all of the gang members arrested. Jax and Sonya stayed behind and waited for Kenshi and Alex to return. After what seemed like a long time, Jax was just about to go out to search when Sonya spotted Kenshi emerging from an alley nearby with Alex in his arms.  
  
The two agents ran over to them. "Alex," said Sonya. "Is she all right?"  
  
Alex looked up at her. "I'm all right Sonya. I almost got killed, but I'm all right."  
  
"Damn," Jax replied. "Do you want to go to the hospital?"  
  
"No, I'm fine, I just need some rest," Alex insisted. She looked up at Kenshi. "Thanks for the ride."  
  
"No problem," Kenshi answered and put Alex back on her feet. Alex wobbled a little as soon as Kenshi let her go. He and Jax caught her before she fell.  
  
"Yeah, you do need some rest," Jax said. "What happened back there?"  
  
"One of the men managed to grab my gun and he was just about to kill me," Alex told them. She smiled. "Then Kenshi came and saved me just in him."  
  
Jax and Sonya looked at each other. Then Sonya turned back to Alex with a devilish grin. "Anything else happened back there?"  
  
Kenshi and Alex both immediately blushed. "Umm....." Kenshi said.  
  
"We kind of kissed," Alex finished.  
  
Jax grinned. "That's cool, just don't show too much affections in front of White, he'll kill you both. Don't worry, you two aren't the only ones who have affections for someone here." He turned to Sonya.  
  
Sonya narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you talking about Johnny Cage again?"  
  
"Of course," Jax replied, his grin devilish. "Who else would I be talking about?"  
  
"There's nothing going on between us," Sonya insisted with a growl. "Besides, I haven't seen him since the last Mortal Kombat tournament."  
  
"He's probably looking at himself in the mirror saying, 'I'm beautiful' right now," Jax said with a laugh.  
  
"Ha, ha," Sonya replied sarcastically.  
  
"Um," Alex said. "Shouldn't we be going back to the base?"  
  
Jax laughed a little. "Hey! It's my job to say that. Sure, let's go."  
  
Jax smirked to himself from that thought. Then, present time came back to him as he looked down at his paper work.  
  
He leaned back in his chair and stretched out his metal arms back. {I really don't want to do this,} Jax thought. Then, he spotted a folder on the corner of his desk. He knew that it contained records on the agents involved with the OIA including himself.  
  
Out of boredom, Jax leaned forward, reached for the folder, and brought it towards him. He opened the folder up and immediately saw a picture of him from five years ago, back when he had hair on his head and a small mustache.  
  
{I've got to get that picture changed,} Jax thought. He looked at his profile. All that needed was a change in his weight.  
  
He flipped the page back and saw Sonya's picture, which was recently updated. Then, he flipped the page again and saw Cyrax's picture. Not too much was revealed about him, like his real name and origin, but he guessed that he's Asian since the Lin Kuei were Chinese assassins.  
  
Jax decided to contact Cyrax since he hasn't heard from him all day. He reached over to his radio and turned it on. "Jax to Cyrax, come in Cyrax."  
  
A second later, he heard a static voice say, "Cyrax here."  
  
"How is the operation currently going?" Jax asked.  
  
"It's quiet where I am right now......too quiet," Cyrax said. "I just woke up from a nap, I'm in a forest right now."  
  
"A forest?" Jax said, one of his eyebrows arched up. "Isn't that the forest with the......."  
  
"AH!" Cyrax cried out. "A tree just yawned right in front of me!"  
  
"Figured," Jax sighed. "Just stay away from them, they can whip you pretty good with their branches."  
  
"Thanks for the warning," Cyrax replied. "Well, I'm signing off now, I'll contact you in a few hours. Cyrax signing out."  
  
"Later." Jax placed his radio back on the desk. {Too quiet, huh? That's not a good thing.}  
  
Jax returned to the records that were laying out in front of him. He picked them up again and flipped the page. Alex's picture was there. He looked at her profiles. She grew up in Florida and was an only daughter of a military General.  
  
He turned the page again and saw Kenshi's picture. He wasn't surprised that most of the facts only say 'unknown,' even his age and origin like Cyrax. Jax guessed that by his complextion, he had to be in his mid- thirties.  
  
He turned the page one more time and saw Hsu Hao's profile. He was a Chinese man from the Chinese Secret Military. He was only here to help the Special Forces eliminate the remaining members of the Black Dragon, but Sonya had insisted that he helped out with the OIA for the current investigation of Outworld since he did well with their last investigation.  
  
Jax shook his head as he closed the folder. He still had a bad feeling about him.  
  
***  
  
Kenshi flipped through the channels of the TV in the lounge with the remote control. He had just finished dinner at the cafeteria. He was surprised that he didn't sense Alex there. Perhaps she had an early dinner or she will have dinner later.  
  
He listened to the TV as he slowly flipped through the channels. Nothing interesting was on and he shut the TV off. That's when he heard someone coming towards him from behind.  
  
"Who's there?" he asked, his head tilted towards the footsteps. A second later, he felt someone touch his shoulders and the person sat next to him on the couch.  
  
Kenshi smirked then. "Alex."  
  
"Hey," Alex replied. "Sorry I wasn't at dinner, I wasn't really hungry. Sonya said I would find you here."  
  
"It's all right," Kenshi said.  
  
He felt Alex wrapping her arms around him sending chills up his spine. "How was your day?"  
  
Kenshi shrugged. "A little boring, there hasn't been much excitement all day." He grinned a little. "At least not until now."  
  
"Ha, ha," Alex replied.  
  
"We're alone right now, right?" Kenshi asked.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Kenshi put his hand on Alex's face. Then, he leaned towards her and pressed his lips against hers. The kiss only lasted a few seconds before Alex pulled away. The two ended up lying back on the couch with Alex's head on Kenshi's chest, their arms wrapped around each other.  
  
"It feels like it's been a while since our first kiss," Alex said. "But it's really only a week ago."  
  
"Yeah," Kenshi agreed. He sighed, "I haven't really been close to anyone since my parents deceased when I was a teenager."  
  
Alex looked up at him. "Really?"  
  
Kenshi nodded. "I used to live in a country area, I was an only child. My father was a worker in a factory and mother stayed home and took care of me until I was thirteen when she got a job at a small restaurant. They both died when I was seventeen and I've been on my own ever since, wandering Europe and Asia. I've discovered about my ancestors along the way and I took up sword fighting from there."  
  
"I'm an only child too," Alex said. "I grew up in a small town in Florida. My father was a General in a military so I never saw him that much. My mother owned a bakery shop near town. I was in college when my mother died of cancer. I never really knew my father so I lived with my aunt for a while. I was twenty-seven when he died of a stroke. I looked through his records and awards the day after the funeral and that's what encouraged me to join Special Forces. We never had a real relationship, but somehow he inspired me to join."  
  
"Things like that happen sometimes," Kenshi answered. "Just by looking through my ancestors' past just made me want to become a swordsman."  
  
"True," Alex agreed. They stayed silent for a brief moment, just holding each other and listening to nothing but their rhythmic breathing.  
  
Then, Kenshi said, "Do you want to go in my room?"  
  
"Sure," Alex answered after a few seconds.  
  
They left the lounge and left towards Kenshi's room. They talked a little more about family and life. The conversation ended when they began to make out. Later that night, their love has consummated.  
  
***  
  
Late that night, Jax and Sonya walk down the hallway towards their room to rest for the night.  
  
"Cyrax should contact me any minute," Jax said.  
  
That's when the radio went off. "Cyrax to Jax, come in."  
  
"Speak of the devil," Sonya said as Jax picked up his radio.  
  
"Jax here."  
  
"Hey," Cyrax said. "Well, I'm almost out of this scary forest, I can finally see a town coming up."  
  
"What have you been doing?" Jax asked. "You've been there since one o'clock Earth time."  
  
"Actually, since midnight Earth time, so I've been there for eleven hours. So I took a nap and ate, sue me," Cyrax laughed.  
  
"As long as you're all right," Jax said.  
  
"Yeah, the scary trees haven't......what the.......AAHHH!!! Get off of me! Get........" Suddenly, the radio was cut off.  
  
"Cyrax?" Sonya cried out.  
  
"Cyrax, are you there?" Jax said into the radio. "Cyrax, this is Major Jax Briggs, are you all right? Cyrax?"  
  
The only reply coming from the radio was silence. 


	9. Ch 8 The Farewell

Chapter Eight: The Farewell  
  
The sun shined through the Special Forces windows the next morning. The only noise in the quiet hallway was the sounds of footsteps running. It sounded like it was heading on it's way to the men's wing.  
  
Meanwhile, Kenshi could feel the sun's rays hit his face from his bed. {Morning already?} he asked himself. It was then that he realized that he was holding someone in his arms. He smirked to himself and listened to Alex's rhythmic breathing as she slept peacefully in his arms. He bended his head down and kissed the top of her head.  
  
Alex had just woken up as she felt Kenshi kiss her head. She slightly moved her head upward to look at him.  
  
"Morning," she said.  
  
Kenshi smirked more. "Morning."  
  
Alex leaned to him and lightly kissed Kenshi's lips. Then she pulled away. "Did you sleep well?"  
  
A small smile appeared on Kenshi's face. "It was the best sleep I ever had. I don't remember the last time I slept like this."  
  
"Same here," Alex replied resting her head next to his. "I think that's how it is the night you, well, have a great night."  
  
"True," Kenshi laughed.  
  
They were just about to kiss again when the door suddenly flew open fast. Jax walked in a couple of feet.  
  
"Kenshi, it's Jax. Get dressed we have a......Alex?"  
  
"Um," Alex managed to say feeling a bit embarrassed. "Hi Jax?"  
  
Jax stood there in a bit of shock. "Eh, sorry if I was interrupting anything, but we have an emergency meeting. Something has happened last night, General White will be explaining everything at the lounge. Um, get dressed." He leaves feeling a bit embarrassed. {I should've knocked first,} he thought. {At least they were under the sheets.}  
  
A half hour later, everyone meets in the Special Forces lounge. General White stood while everyone else sat down.  
  
"What happened General?" asked Alex.  
  
General White spoke. "Blade and Briggs are already aware of what happened. Something has happened to Cyrax last night. We tried to get in contact with him, but I think his arm panel has been destroyed. Hell we don't even know if he's even still alive."  
  
"It sounded like he was being attacked by someone," said Jax. "Or something."  
  
"Could it be those trees in that forest?" asked Sonya.  
  
"I don't think so. Those trees are only known to pull pranks, not kill or anything like that. But I thought I heard a hissing noise before the connection was cut off."  
  
"So what do we do now?" asked Kenshi.  
  
General White sighed. "Well, first we don't even know if there are any unusual activities going on in Outworld. Cyrax hasn't really bumped into anything since he left Earth." He sighed again. "The only thing I can do for now is to have Jax send one of you out there to check out any unusual activities in Outworld and search for Cyrax. Hopefully he's still alive."  
  
"Don't worry General," said Hsu Hao. "Cyrax is as tough as metal, literally."  
  
Jax raised an eyebrow after hearing that. During meetings, Hsu Hao wouldn't even make the sounds of breathing. He stood up.  
  
"Jax," White asked. "Have you decided who it will be?"  
  
"I'm deciding now," Jax replied. He looked at Hsu Hao. {Hell no,} he immediately thought. He looked over at Alex. She was a good agent but he didn't believe that she was ready to go on an assignment as big as this one. Sonya was his partner and needed her to help out with more of the operations.  
  
After a few minutes Jax finally made his decision. "Kenshi."  
  
Kenshi was shocked to hear his name being called out. He didn't expect that at all. {Holy smokes!} he thought. {I'm finally going to Outworld!}  
  
Of course, he was going to help find Cyrax as well, but it was a chance for him to finally find Shang and redeem himself, something he has been looking forward to for the last ten years. When he gets there, he would be both a rescue party and spy, once he finds Shang of course.  
  
A small frown appeared on Alex's face. She was happy about Kenshi going to Outworld. She knew that this was something he wanted for a long time, but at the same time, a part of her didn't want him to go knowing that he was about to do something that was dangerous. Worse, it was in another part of the universe.  
  
"You'll be going through the portal in 12 hours," Jax said.  
  
Alex looked at her watch. It was nine in the morning.  
  
"Speaking of which," said Sonya standing up. She held what looked like a dog tag necklace and walked over to Kenshi. "Kenshi, everyone involved with Special Forces receive a dog tag to wear with their names on it. This one was made for you."  
  
Kenshi stood up and put his hand out. "Thank you," he said as Sonya placed the tag in his hand. He held it and brushed the tag with his thumb. He could feel his name engraved on it. Then, he put the jewelry around his neck. "Now I really feel like I'm part of the team."  
  
"Kenshi," said Jax. "You ARE part of the team."  
  
***  
  
Six hours later.......  
  
Alex stood outside of the balcony of the Special Forces base. From there, she watched the jeeps and fighter jets coming in and out of the base. Kenshi was stuck in her mind. It was only last night that they showed each other their feelings for one another and now he was leaving to go on a dangerous mission.  
  
{Just when things were going well,} she thought. {Now this.}  
  
But she knew that this was something he wanted to do and there was nothing she could do to stop him. She tried her best to be happy for him.  
  
It was then that she heard footsteps from behind her. She turned around to see the person. Her heart fluttered when she spotted Kenshi walking over to her dressed in his traditional uniform and red blindfold.  
  
"Alex?" Kenshi asked.  
  
Alex fully turned around. "Yeah it's me," she said.  
  
"Sonya told me you would be here," Kenshi said as he walked over next to her. "You've been pretty quiet since the meeting ended."  
  
"I know," Alex replied. "I've been doing a lot of thinking all day that's all."  
  
"It's not about last night is it?" Kenshi asked.  
  
Alex took his hands into hers. "It's not that. Last night was the best night." She looked down. "I was thinking about something else."  
  
She could tell just by the shape of Kenshi's lips that he was concerned. He put his arms around her waist. "It's about me leaving tonight."  
  
Alex put her arms around his shoulders. "Yeah. I mean I'm really happy that you finally have the chance to go. I know it's something that means a lot to you, a chance to finally accomplish your goals." She sighed a little. "It's just that I.........I have a bad feeling about this mission. After Cyrax, I'm afraid that whatever happened to him is going to happen to you. Don't get me wrong I am worried about Cyrax. I........I just don't want to lose you."  
  
Kenshi gently kissed her forehead. "You won't lose me," he assured her. "Nothing is going to happen to me and I'll make sure that I'll come back alive and in one piece."  
  
"Promise?"  
  
"Promise."  
  
***  
  
Another six hours later.....  
  
"This is it Agent Kenshi," said General White. "Are you ready for this?"  
  
Kenshi picked up the duffle bag full of the supplies he needed to survive. "I'm ready."  
  
Everyone but Hsu Hao were there to watch Kenshi go through the portal, which will take him to Outworld. Jax walked over to the swordsman and patted his back. "Take care of yourself. If you need anything, just use your arm panel to contact us."  
  
"All right," said Kenshi.  
  
Sonya walked up to him next. "Good luck Kenshi. Be safe and find Cyrax for us. If something happens, we'll come out to get you."  
  
"Thank you. I'll be safe."  
  
Alex knew that it was her turn. She walked over to him. Immediately, the two wrapped their arms around each other in an embrace. The room became silent except for the pulsing sound of the machine behind them ready to transport Kenshi to Outworld. The other three in the room knew that this would be the hardest part of saying good-bye for Kenshi.  
  
Alex pulled back and looked at the small, silver chained bracelet around her left wrist. She began to take it off and then placed it on Kenshi's wrist. "My mother gave me this bracelet just before she died. I want you to take it with you as a good luck charm."  
  
"Thank you," Kenshi said. "I'll never take this off."  
  
Kenshi put his duffle bag down and reached both of his hands to the back of his neck and unhooked the hook of his dog tag. Then, he pushed Alex's dark hair to the side and hooked the jewelry around her next. Tears began to form in Alex's eyes, but she refused to shed them.  
  
"I'll be coming back for these and for you," Kenshi said.  
  
"I'll never take this off either," Alex answered. They locked their lips together in a sweet kiss, their arms around each other. Alex wished she could stop him from going, but she couldn't. This was something he had to do.  
  
Kenshi pulled back and placed a hand on her face. "Be brave for me," he whispered. He felt Alex nod. Then, he slowly picked up his bag. "I'm ready," he announced.  
  
"All right," said White. "Step into the portal."  
  
Kenshi took a deep breath and walked into the portal. Sonya locked the glass door and then Jax turned the machine fully on. Alex watched as the blue energy slowly swirled around Kenshi.  
  
{Be brave for me,} his voice echoed in her mind. She tightly grasped on to the dog tag.  
  
The blue energy completed covered Kenshi to the point that no one can see him. When the energy faded, Kenshi was gone.  
  
Alex bowed her head. She wanted to be brave for him, but she soon had the horrible feeling that was the last time that she would see Kenshi alive. 


	10. Ch 9 The Bad Feeling

A/N: I would like to thank Somebody so much for that detail I missed on Kenshi. So everyone just ignore the scenes where Kenshi used his telekinetic powers. I've already made the changes in the previous chapters.  
  
Chapter Nine: The Bad Feeling  
  
Kenshi felt like he was in mid-air as he was transported from Earth to Outworld. He had his sword in his hand not knowing what will happen once he lands there.  
  
It felt like a long time before he finally felt his feet on the cold air and sensed the disturbing ki surrounding the atmosphere. Kenshi stood there in his own darkness and tried to sense what's around him other than the ki.  
  
He clutched his sword tighter as he sensed terrified souls passing him, all going into the same direction.  
  
{Shang,} Kenshi thought. {He really is here!}  
  
Kenshi knew of his real reason to be here. He was here to search for the missing Special Forces agent Cyrax and bring him back home. He would do that while searching for Shang Tsung as well. The last known place Cyrax was at was a forest filled with trees with the ability to talk and move their own branches.  
  
He knew that it would take weeks before he would find either of them, but he was willing to fulfill his two duties.  
  
Then, Alex came to his mind. He reached his free hand over to the bracelet Alex had given him just before entering the portal and brought it to his fingers. He felt the cold jewelry on the skin of his fingers.  
  
It was then that he realized another duty to fulfill.  
  
To quickly complete this mission in order to get back to her and make her proud.  
  
{Don't worry Alex,} Kenshi thought. {I'll be back as soon as I can.}  
  
He began to sense the souls again and realized that they were going in the same direction, like they are being attracted to something ahead of them. Kenshi placed his sword back behind him and began following the souls.  
  
Just twenty feet away, a dark shadow stood behind a dead tree. He stared at the blind swordsman for a while before he began walking away. Then, the shadow teleported away.  
  
***  
  
Back on Earth, Alex looked out the window of the Special Forces cafeteria. In front of her, only little portions of her dinner was gone. It has been a week since Kenshi left for Outworld. She knew that he's all right from all the contacts she and the rest of the agents had with him.  
  
Well, he's all right so far.  
  
Alex was so deep in her thoughts that she didn't realize that Agent Sonya Blade sat down in front of her with her tray of food. "Alex?" the older agent spoke.  
  
Alex shook her head quickly and turned her head towards Sonya. "Oh, hey. I didn't know you were there."  
  
"Deep in thought I see," Sonya replied taking a bite out of her roast beef sandwich. "Don't worry, so far Kenshi is all right."  
  
"I know," Alex answered. "But I can't help it with this stupid gut feeling at the pit of my stomach."  
  
"Is it the food?" Sonya asked looking down at Alex's barely-eaten dinner.  
  
Alex looked down at her plate. "Oh, no it's not the food, it's all right."  
  
"Kenshi then?"  
  
Alex nodded.  
  
Sonya took another bite out of her sandwich before speaking again. "What is it that's bothering you about Kenshi. I mean I know you know that he's all right."  
  
"Yeah," the brunette agent replied. "I'm just being silly really, but since the night Kenshi left for Outworld, I couldn't help but have that bad feeling that it was the last time that I would ever see him alive."  
  
"Everyone feels like that whenever their loved one leaves for a long period of time," Sonya said. "I once thought I've lost the man I loved once and I was devastated for a while until I found out that he was well and alive."  
  
"Do you still love him?" Alex thought knowing that she was mentioning the famous actor Johnny Cage.  
  
"In a way yes," answered the blond agent. "But I don't think we're meant for a relationship. I'm always busy trying to fight the forces of evil and protect our world while he's too busy acting in all of these stupid movies and being a hot shot."  
  
Alex laughed. "Remember when Ninja Mime came out in theaters. That was probably one of the biggest movie flops in American history."  
  
"And Cyrax felt that Johnny robbed his eight bucks," Sonya mentioned laughing as well.  
  
The two female agents laughed for another second before stopping, both with serious looks on their faces. It was fun getting off the subject for a minute, but it was something that couldn't be avoided, especially when it involved the lives of two agents.  
  
"Other than that," Sonya continued. "You shouldn't worry. Kenshi's smart, not to mention has great senses, literally. I'm pretty sure that he'll be fine no matter what happens."  
  
"I hope your right Sonya," Alex said.  
  
It was at that moment that Alex felt her stomach turn in an uncomfortable way.  
  
"Crap!" Alex cried. "I don't think the gut feeling in my stomach is just a feeling. I think I'm going to puke." Then, the younger agent stood up and began running out of the cafeteria.  
  
Sonya followed Alex into the woman's bathroom. She stood a few feet away from the stalls as Alex threw up the contents into the toilet. After a minute, Sonya heard the toilet flush and Alex stepped out of the bathroom and slowly walked towards the sink.  
  
"Are you okay?" Sonya asked placing a hand on Alex's back. "You look like you're going to pass out."  
  
"I'm not sure," Alex thought. "I've been like this since this morning. It's only the third time today I threw up."  
  
"Did you drink anything last night?"  
  
"Just a small bottle of Vodka," Alex remembered as she splashed water on her face. "Maybe it was more stronger than I thought."  
  
"Maybe," Sonya agreed. "But it could be from nervousness about Kenshi and the mission as well. If you still feel like this within the next couple of days, go to the doctor."  
  
Alex only answered with a quick nod.  
  
***  
  
The dark figured entered what looked like a palace. He walked around until he found the main room where all of the operations were taking place. There were dead bodies dressed in armored uniforms standing on their feet and holding weapons in their hands. Near the back of the room, a large green energy filled with tortured souls swirled slowly upward.  
  
The man the shadow was looking for stood with two other people and walked over to him. The man was tall with long black hair and a goatee and wore a red outfit with yellow dragon designs in different places. Behind his back was a straight sword wrapped in its case.  
  
"Shang Tsung," the shadow spoke. "I've come to tell you about my discovery."  
  
Shang raised an eyebrow. "What is it, Rovno?"  
  
"It seems that an intruder is out to not only search for another missing agent, but is out to kill you as well. He is a swordsman named Kenshi and he is a spy for Special Forces." He then began to describle Kenshi's features and his wardrobe.  
  
"Special Forces?" Shang said. "They must know something about the Deadly Alliance." He looked back at Rovno. "Any other important information about this spy?"  
  
"No," the shadow replied. "Except that his current location is far at the moment."  
  
"Thank you, Rovno," Shang finally said. "It's good to have a teleporter and a mind reader on our team. You may go now until I give you your next orders."  
  
Rovno bowed to the sorcerer before teleporting away.  
  
{Kenshi, eh?} Shang thought. {Why does that name seem so familiar?}  
  
An extremely pale man turned to Shang. "What do we do now, Shang?"  
  
Shang turned his head to the man. "I think you know what orders to give to our friend here, Quan-Chi." Shang turned his head to the Asian man with them. "Mavado, any word on Hsu Hao yet."  
  
"He is still awaiting orders back at the Special Forces base," Mavado replied.  
  
"They must have a portal on their base," Shang said. "Tell Hsu Hao to destroy it."  
  
Mavado nodded as Shang left the room.  
  
Quan-Chi turned to Mavado. "I have a gift for you, Mavado. You know about Kano being alive now, yes?"  
  
Mavado only growled in response. He and Kano have been rivals for years considering that Mavado's mission as a Red Dragon member was to eliminate ever member of the Black Dragon. Kano was the last known member.  
  
Quan-Chi continued. "Since Kano is working alongside with Shang, I will give you the opportunity to fight Kano in a battle to the death."  
  
"Thank you, Quan-Chi," Mavado replied. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this opportunity."  
  
"Not so fast," Quan-Chi said. "Before you have your battle with Kano, I need you to complete a task."  
  
"Anything."  
  
Quan-Chi smirked. "Shang and I do not tolerate people invading our plans to conquer Outworld and soon the Earth. Shang has given me a hint to have you do one thing."  
  
Mavado stared at the sorcerer awaiting his orders.  
  
"You must eliminate the swordsman." 


	11. Ch 10 The Destruction

Chapter Ten- The Destruction  
  
The souls seemed to fly by in high speed, but they weren't fast enough for Kenshi to catch their exact direction. Kenshi kept following the terrified souls and stopped for nothing.  
  
It had been three days since he started following the souls. He was not sure exactly where these souls were heading, but he was pretty sure that Shang himself was somehow forcing them towards him so that he could consume them and keep them for himself to maintain his own youth.  
  
Hopefully, the swordsman was right.  
  
At the same time, he searched for the missing Special Forces Agent Cyrax. Back on Earth, Jax had not received any word from Cyrax. He and Kenshi had kept in contact throughout the last couple of weeks, Earth time.  
  
"How's it going out there?" Jax asked him.  
  
Kenshi could hear Jax voice on his arm panel and brought his left arm up to speak into it. "It's pretty quiet around here at the moment, except for these souls I'm following."  
  
"Quiet?" Jax sighed. "That's what Cyrax said before we lost contact with him. You say that you're following souls?"  
  
"Yeah," Kenshi replied. "It's like they're being attracted to something, like a fly to a light."  
  
"Maybe this is finally our lead to what may be going on out there," Jax concluded. "Keep your senses as sharp as possible."  
  
"That won't be a problem," Kenshi answered.  
  
"Any clues on Cyrax yet?"  
  
"Not yet. I can't sense anything that has to do with him."  
  
"Maybe the two of you have taken different paths. After all, Outworld is one huge place."  
  
"You can say that again." It was then that Kenshi sighed a bit. "Jax?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"How's Alex?"  
  
"She's doing better," Jax replied. "The first time you left, she was pretty down, but she's improving. I think it's as long as you're all right, she'll be all right. I'm sorry that you haven't been able to speak to her. It's just that the General only wants me to keep in contact with you. I wish I could connect you to her, but I could lose my job."  
  
"It's all right," Kenshi sighed with disappointment. "As long as you tell me that's she's okay, it at least brings comfort to me."  
  
"True," Jax agreed. "Well, I'll be signing off now. I'm going to work out for a little bit and then get some paperwork done. I'll get in contact with you as soon as I'm done. Later."  
  
"Later." Kenshi brought his arm back to his side. Then, for the first time in hours, he stopped in his tracks. He began to sense something disturbing other than the souls. He used his senses to figure out what it was. After a while, he sighed to himself.  
  
{This is probably how the environment is,} Kenshi thought. Then, he began walking forward again.  
  
***  
  
The Red Dragon Member Mavado walked over to a place called The Acid Bath. He stood in the middle with his hookswords, one in each hand, and looked around. This was the exact place where he was to meet up with Hsu Hao, who has been an undercover spy for many weeks on Special Forces. Tonight he was to destroy Special Force's Outerworld Investigation Agency.  
  
"The time has come," Mavado spoke out loud. "The Deadly Alliance has begin and the Earth will fall to their knees at Shang and Quan-Chi's hands. And the swordsman will die at my hands and I shall finally fight Kano."  
  
He raised his hookswords in the air and twirled them around before smacking them then together above his head.  
  
***  
  
After a whole hour of working out, Jax stretched his arms out. He got up and walked towards the benches where his towel and water bottle were. He whipped the sweat off of his face, and then took a sip out of his water bottle.  
  
{Nothing's better than an hour of working out,} Jax thought with a small smirk.  
  
After a quick shower, Jax got dressed in blue jeans, black boots, a white T- shirt, and of course his metallic arms. Although he had a load of paperwork to do, Jax decided to take a few minutes off to get some fresh air. He walked outside and sat on a bench. Since it was near dinnertime, most of the jets began to land back in after a whole day of flying.  
  
{It's been a while since I flew,} Jax thought. {Maybe I should get back into it as soon as this investigation's over.}  
  
It was then that both Kenshi and Alex came to his mind. He smirked to himself thinking about the couple who were only together for a week before Kenshi left for Outworld.  
  
{They sure have something special between them,} Jax thought. He knew even before they hooked up that the both of them had strong feelings for one another, but neither of them realized it. Before Kenshi left, he remembered Kenshi's words.......  
  
(Flashback)  
  
It was three hours before Kenshi would leave for Outworld. Jax was helping him pack up the things the swordsman would be needing for his mission.  
  
"Here's a flashlight," Jax said.  
  
"Jax," Kenshi replied with a small smile. "I think you and I both know that I won't be needing that."  
  
"Oh, right! Sorry about that, I forget that you're blind sometimes."  
  
"It's all right. With my strong senses, it doesn't seem like I'm blind at all."  
  
"True," Jax agreed. "Hey Kenshi."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Good luck."  
  
"Thanks," Kenshi answered. "Hopefully this will be over before we know it."  
  
"Same here. I'm getting sick of those Outworld bastards," Jax laughed.  
  
Kenshi laughed a little bit too, but them the smile disappeared. Even with his blindfold covering half of his face, Jax knew that Kenshi's face was a serious one.  
  
"Jax, you could promise me something?" Kenshi asked.  
  
"Sure," Jax said.  
  
Kenshi sighed. "Could you promise to take care of Alex?"  
  
Jax patted the swordsman's shoulder. "That's a promise I can keep. You can count on me, man."  
  
"Thanks," Kenshi replied with a small smirk.  
  
(End of Flashback)  
  
Jax smirked to himself. It was a promise that he still has kept. After all, Alex was still well and alive.  
  
The Special Forces major got up from the bench. He was about to go back into the main building when he looked over at the door, which lead to the Outerworld Investigation Agency's portal. He noticed a figure entering the room and going down the stars.  
  
{What the......} Jax thought. He began running towards the door, which was about a half a mile from where he was from. After a three minute run, he made his way to the door.  
  
He quickly opened it and jogged down the stairs. He could hear that the machine is somehow operating the portal. Jax raised an eyebrow.  
  
Only he and Sonya knew how to turn on the portal.  
  
"Who's down here?!" Jax demanded as he made his way to the bottom of the steps. It was then that he noticed Hsu Hao's face just a split second before the blue swirls engulfed him.  
  
"HEY!!" Jax cried out, but it was too late. The swirls disappeared along with Hsu Hao.  
  
"Damn!" Jax growled. He walked over to the operators when he suddenly noticed a small item on top of the machine which read off, '00:00:08.'  
  
{Shit!} Jax cried in his mind. {It's a bomb!}  
  
He had eight seconds before the small bomb would explode. The bomb was a type that was only enough to destroy just the building itself and a few feet around it.  
  
Not having enough time to operate the portal and go after Hsu Hao, Jax did the only thing he could. He quickly turned towards the stairs and began running with all he had out of the building.  
  
***  
  
Alex sat at her desk in her room and starred out the window. Even though she knew that Kenshi's all right, tears slow flowed down her cheeks, something that she rarely did.  
  
But she had a good reason for this.  
  
It was then that Sonya knocked on the door. "Alex?"  
  
"Come in," Alex replied. The blond agent walked in slowly, closing the door behind her. She sat on Alex's desk.  
  
"Is everything all right?" Sonya asked with concern. "You did get the report from Jax this afternoon that Kenshi's still all right."  
  
"I did," Alex answered. She sighed loudly, a shiver went up her spine. "It's not the only thing that's bothering me at the moment either."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Sonya asked. She knew that the only thing that would be bothering the younger agent was the bad feeling of losing the man she loves.  
  
"Please tell me Alex," Sonya said again after a few moments of uncomfortable silence.  
  
Alex slowly stood up. Sonya began to stand up as well, but Alex pushed her back to the desk. "Don't, you need to sit down for this one."  
  
"Um," Sonya said. "I don't think I'm going to like this."  
  
Alex took a deep sigh again. "Sonya, I went to the doctor today to see if I was having the nervous breakdown we talked about last week."  
  
"And......" Sonya said feeling a bit nervous. Whatever it was it was going to be hard for Alex to say and if that was the case, it was probably not good news at all.  
  
More tears flowed down Alex's face. "Sonya, the doctor took a few tests and he said that......that........" she took one last full breath and let the final words flying out without thinking. "Sonya, I'm pregnant."  
  
Complete shock and relief filled Sonya's heart. She quickly stood up. "What?"  
  
Just before either woman could say anything, a loud explosion was suddenly heard from outside.  
  
"Shit," Sonya cried. She took her gun out and began running out of the room with Alex trailing behind with her own gun out.  
  
Many of the agents began running out of their rooms and ran outside. A large fire was burning one of the buildings.  
  
"Oh my God," Sonya said. "That's the OIA building!"  
  
"Jax!!" Alex cried out. She noticed the tall agent wobbling away from the rubble, his shirt and pants patched with burned holes.  
  
Both female agents sprinted towards him. Just before his collapsed, Sonya caught Jax in her arms.  
  
"Hang on big fella," Sonya said. She looked at him and saw only a few minor burns on the agent.  
  
"It was that bastard Hsu Hao," Jax said coughing. "He blew up our only portal access. I told you there was something up with him."  
  
"Don't talk," Sonya suggested. "Let's get you some medical attention and then we'll talk about this."  
  
Alex starred at the burning building. Holding her stomach, fear, anger, and sadness filled her heart and her tears matched the same feelings. The OIA's building, which held Earth's only portal was gone. And it meant the one thing that Alex feared most.  
  
Kenshi was lost in Outworld. 


	12. Ch 11 The Thunder God

Chapter Eleven: The Thunder God  
  
Agents Jax Briggs, Sonya Blade, and Alex Walker stood in front of General Simon White's desk in silence. White slowly paced around a little with a small frown on his face. Frowns appeared on the other agents' faces as well, especially Alex's.  
  
It has been two days since the destruction of the Outerworld Investigation Agency, all thanks to the trader Hsu Hao. Special Forces have easily trusted him and have even named him one of the best free agents in the force.  
  
Now they've learned that even the best people can be their worst agents.  
  
A while back, units of Special Forces have destroyed every inter-realm portal known to exist on Earth and the only portal that existed was the one made by the OIA.  
  
But now that was gone.  
  
The worst part of losing the portal was the fact that two of Special Forces' agents are lost in Outworld; Agent Kenshi and Agent Cyrax.  
  
General White looked at the three agents. "This was completely unexpected. We've had suspicions towards Hsu Hao for quite sometime, but we've never really took it seriously. This was all my fault."  
  
"No it wasn't," said Jax. "I've had my own suspicions and I should've looked more into it myself."  
  
White nodded. "Normally in a situation like this, we could send our units out to rescue Kenshi and Cyrax, but unfortunately, we have destroyed all those portals."  
  
"So what do we do now?" asked Alex.  
  
White looked over at Alex. He sighed lightly seeing the sadness in her blue eyes. "I'm afraid there is nothing we can do."  
  
"What do you mean 'nothing?'" Sonya cried out with anger. "Why don't we just build another portal?"  
  
"Sonya," White said. "It took us nearly a year to build the portal for the OIA. Kenshi and Cyrax may not be alive by the time it gets completed again."  
  
A horrible chill went up Alex's spine. The last thing she wanted to think about is Kenshi being dead.  
  
"We'll find a way!" Sonya cried. "And we'll find them as quickly as possible!"  
  
"Sonya....." White tried to say.  
  
"I won't leave my men behind, no matter what situation we're in!"  
  
"She's right!" cried out Alex. "It's agent's honor, we won't leave them behind!"  
  
A single tear fell from her eye.  
  
"All right," said White. "No matter how long it takes, it's your mission to bring Agent Kenshi and Agent Cyrax back home safely."  
  
He saluted them. The agents followed.  
  
***  
  
An hour after the meeting, Sonya sat at her office desk. She had the paperwork in front of her, but her mind felt blurred. She couldn't stop thinking about what has happened the last couple of weeks, especially the last two days. Now she had to figure out a way to gain access to Outworld and rescue the two agents.  
  
{I must find a way to do this,} she thought.  
  
"Knock, knock," she heard someone say. She turned her head and spotted Jax by her door. "You all right?" he asked as he closed the door.  
  
Sonya rested her head on her hands. "I don't know anymore. I'm just really out of it now."  
  
"Wanna talk about it?" Jax insisted. He grabbed a chair and sat down next to the blond agent.  
  
Sonya leaned back in her chair. "I just can't believe we were manipulated by Hsu Hao. He was a double agent all along."  
  
"I had the feeling the whole time," Jax answered. "Unfortunately, I lacked proof until the last minute."  
  
Sonya sighed. "I'm really worried about Kenshi and Cyrax. We haven't heard from Cyrax in weeks and now Kenshi's trapped out there. We don't even know if they're all right. I'm worried about Alex too. She hasn't been handling this too well, although she has tried her best."  
  
"I know," Jax agreed. "It's natural to worry about your loved ones."  
  
"And don't forget that she's with child now." The look of determination appeared on Sonya's face. "We definitely have to get Kenshi and Cyrax home as quickly as possible."  
  
That's when they heard another knock. They turned around and saw Alex through the window part of the door. Sonya waved her in. Alex opened the door, walked in, and closed the door behind her.  
  
"Hey," Alex said.  
  
"Hey," Sonya and Jax replied at the same time.  
  
"I saw you two here and I thought I'd come in, unless it's something private......"  
  
"No, you're welcome with us anytime," Jax said placing a nearby chair next to him. Alex sat down in it.  
  
Alex sighed a little. "So, what now?"  
  
"Well," said Sonya. "The first thing we have to do is find a portal, which will take us to Outworld, and fast."  
  
"But where would we find quick access?" asked Jax.  
  
Suddenly, they hear a loud thunder just next to the window. The loud sound had startled the three agents.  
  
"Whoa!" cried Jax.  
  
That's when they heard someone say, "It's good to see you again."  
  
The three agents turned their heads and noticed a tall man standing next to a window. He wore a cone hat and strands of his grayish-white hair were peaking out, and his white eyes glowed.  
  
"Who are you?!" Alex cried out feeling a bit freaked out.  
  
"Don't worry Alex," said Sonya. "This is a old friend of ours, Raiden, the thunder God of Earth."  
  
"How are you doing Raiden?" asked Jax.  
  
"All right," Raiden replied. "Except Earth is in danger again."  
  
Jax growled. "Not again."  
  
"What's going on?" asked Alex.  
  
"That I can't explain now," Raiden replied. "Meet me at the Island where the first Mortal Kombat took place. There, I will explain everything."  
  
The agents nodded as a lightning bolt struck Raiden. Then, it disappeared along with him.  
  
Sonya smiled a little bit. "We may have found our access."  
  
***  
  
Two hours after Raiden left, Jax, Sonya, Alex, and White stood in front of a helicopter, which was ready to take off to their destination.  
  
"Are you sure about this?" asked White.  
  
"Hell yeah," replied Jax. "I've got a feeling that we'll be kicking some Outworld ass!"  
  
"And don't worry General," said Sonya. "We'll make sure to bring our men home."  
  
"Good luck," the old General said with a salute.  
  
Jax and Sonya saluted as well, then turned to Alex.  
  
"Alex," said Jax. "It's best that you didn't come."  
  
"I really do want to go," Alex replied. "Is it because I'm a new agent?"  
  
"No, not at all," Sonya replied. "Jax and I have talked about it and we believed that for the sake of your child that you remain here."  
  
Alex nodded. It was better to stay behind than to risk a miscarriage in combat.  
  
"Here," Jax said giving her a walkie talkie. "This connects to Sonya's radio. We'll contact you as much as possible."  
  
"Thank you," Alex replied.  
  
The female agents shared a brief hug. Then, the younger agent shared another brief embrace with Jax.  
  
"Good luck," Alex said saluting the two agents.  
  
Jax and Sonya saluted as well. "And Alex," Sonya continued. "I promise to bring Kenshi home for you."  
  
Alex smirked at her and held the dog tag that Kenshi had given her before he left.  
  
"Let's get going," said Jax.  
  
Sonya nodded and the two agents jumped into the helicopter. Alex watched it slowly make its way into the air. When it was high enough, it began to fly towards its destination. She watched it go until she couldn't see it anymore.  
  
Alex tightened her grasp on the dog tag. {Be careful.}  
  
*************************************************************  
  
And now we are finally up to the action! Sadly, this story is half-way done *sniff* 


	13. Ch 12 The Deadly Alliance

A/N: Sorry for the long wait, damn writer's block! Well, hopefully this doesn't happen again. Well, on with the fic......  
  
Chapter Twelve: The Deadly Alliance The helicopter landed on the sands of an island that looked abandoned. Agent Sonya Blade only glared at the island, knowing what had taken place here. It was where Shang Tsung held his Mortal Kombat tournaments for centuries. Sonya was on this island ten years ago when she and her troops followed Kano onto a mysterious ship. It had lead her here and when her troops were held captive by Shang Tsung's guards, she had no choice but to participate in the tournament in order to save her troops.  
  
Sonya shivered at the thought but remained calm as possible.  
  
As soon as the helicopter settled on the sand, she and Agent Jax Briggs opened the door and jumped out. The pilot wished them good luck and quickly went off.  
  
Jax looked around the deserted island. "Now what?" he asked.  
  
That's when they heard footsteps coming towards them from behind. Both agents whirled around quickly, thinking it was an intruder ready to attack. Both of them then relaxed as they saw this person. The hat with the razor sharp ends gave them the clue.  
  
"Kung Lao," said Jax. "It's been a long time."  
  
"It has indeed," Kung Lao replied.  
  
Sonya began to have an eerie feeling as the well-known Shaolin Monk spoke. She could hear the sadness in his voice and he looked worn out.  
  
"Is something the matter?" Sonya asked concerned.  
  
Kung Lao made eye contact with the blond agent. "I prefer not to talk about it." He managed to smirk. "It's good to see you again, Sonya."  
  
"Same here," Sonya replied smiling a bit. "Would you like to spar with me?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
Jax sat down on the sand as Sonya and Kung Lao walked a few feet away from him and began sparring. He wondered what was going to happen. Even before they arrived, he and Sonya had always had plans when it came to missions, but this was the first time that they didn't have any plans to prepare themselves for what they were going to face. Perhaps because everything went so fast from sending Cyrax to Outworld to Raiden warning them about a new threat to Earth. Now because of that, anything can happen and no matter what it is, he and Sonya must be prepared for that.  
  
That's when Jax noticed a small boat not too far in the distance. The boat seemed to be made out of ice. It was no question of who was coming.  
  
{Sub-Zero,} Jax thought.  
  
Kung Lao and Sonya had noticed the boat too and stopped their sparring. As the boat came closer, they noticed not only Sub-Zero, but another person as well, who looked like a female version of him.  
  
The boat soon landed and both Sub-Zero and the stranger stepped out of the boat.  
  
"Greetings," said Sub-Zero.  
  
The ice ninja bowed to the three. Sonya, Jax, and Kung Lao followed. Then, they took notice of the woman with Sub-Zero. She wore similar clothes as him, her icy blue hair gelled upwards.  
  
"This is my apprentice Frost," Sub-Zero putting a hand on her shoulder. "She's accompanying me during this journey."  
  
"Hi," said Sonya.  
  
Frost only narrowed her icy blue eyes at her, then walked past her. Sonya raised an eyebrow as the female ice ninja searched around the island.  
  
"She's a little arrogant," Sub-Zero whispered.  
  
Before anyone said anything, they heard a plane above them. They looked up just in time to see someone jump out of the plane. A few seconds later, a parachute shot out of the bag on their back. Then, Jax realized who this was.  
  
{Oh great, not Johnny Cage!}  
  
Sonya smirked to herself as the world-famous actor landed safely on the ground wearing nothing but a black tuxedo and his trademark sunglasses. {He sure hasn't changed a bit,} she thought.  
  
"Hey there!" Johnny cried showing off his cocky smile. "Ready to kick some more Outworld ass?"  
  
"Yeah, yeah," Jax grumbled.  
  
"We are," replied Sonya. "But I don't think that this is going to be the same like all of our other times at Outworld."  
  
"What do you mean by that?" asked Sub-Zero.  
  
Then, they began startled when a fire not too far from them lit up. At first, everyone only stared from where they were standing. Then, they slowly walked over to it. Sub-Zero, Frost, and Kung Lao sat down on the logs on the ground while Sonya, Jax, and Johnny stood.  
  
Everyone stayed silent for a few minutes. Each of them imagined what would probably happen in Outworld this time around, but no matter what, anything was possible. As they thought through everything, Sonya realized something.  
  
{Where's Liu Kang?}  
  
Then, as expected, a lightning landed on the ground near them. Raiden appeared and began walking over to the warriors. The fire began to grow more with more fierce.  
  
"Greetings my friends," Raiden said. He looked at each and every one of the warriors. When he eyed Jax, he asked, "Where is your friend Alex?"  
  
"It was best that she didn't go," Jax replied. "She's with child."  
  
"I see," Raiden nodded. "It's for the best." He continued. "Most of you may have a clue about what may be going on."  
  
"The world is in peril once again," said Frost with a little arrogance in her voice. This made Sonya twitch a little.  
  
"Indeed."  
  
Then, Raiden began explaining everything.  
  
"Mortal Kombat has always been and always will be. For millennia, the forces of good and evil have been locked in eternal battle over the control of Earthrealm. Some seek to use the tournament to destroy all that is good. Others seek vengeance, power, or eternal life. Time after time, each individual threat has been vanquished and Earthrealm has enjoyed relative peace for many years. But there is concern that Earth is once again in peril. And this time, the threat of evil has two faces.  
  
"It is now known that the sorcerer Quan-Chi has escaped from the Netherealm. Since his escape, Quan-Chi has unlocked the secret of the ancient Rune Stone, discovered the ancient, undefeatable army of the long- forgotten Dragon King, and most disturbing of all, formed an alliance with one of our deadliest enemies- Shang Tsung.  
  
"With their combined strengths, they plotted to overpower the only two beings who could prevent their total domination of our two realms. The first was the emperor of Outworld- Shao Kahn. In a false show of allegiance, they sprung their attack. They then traveled to Earthrealm by a way of a mystical portal only know to sorcerers and deities.  
  
"There, they confronted Earth's mightiest warrior and champion of Mortal Kombat- Liu Kang. It has been Shang Tsung's desire to consume the soul of Earth's greatest warrior. With Quan-Chi's assistance, he achieved this goal.  
  
"Liu Kang is dead."  
  
Complete silence and sorrow filled the room. Sonya turned to Kung Lao, realizing why he has looked grim since her arrival on this island. He had known about his death before coming here.  
  
Raiden continued. "They have since returned to Outworld and are using the souls of conquered warriors to resurrect the Dragon King's undefeatable army. Should they succeed, they will have the means to conquer Outworld, and eventually Earthrealm.  
  
"They will be unstoppable. I can no longer stand idly by and watch this evil consume the world. I have relinquished my status as Elder God to return to earth and lead you all to battle against our old adversaries.  
  
"We must act now. We must stop this Deadly Alliance."  
  
A heavy wind blew hard and it had blown the fire out like a light. The warriors realized that the fight to save Earthrealm has began.  
  
***  
  
The warriors were taken to another island by a Nethership, but this time, there was a portal, the portal which will lead them to Outworld.  
  
Each warrior had to fight an illusion of their worst adversary. Jax fought an illusion of Hsu Hao, no surprise, and won. Sonya fought a man named Mavado, something she's never met before. Perhaps she will meet up with him in Outworld.  
  
Sub-Zero fought Scorpion, Kung Lao fought Shang Tsung, Frost fought Sub- Zero, Johnny fought himself, and Raiden fought Quan-Chi. All of them were the victors and gained access to Outworld.  
  
As the portal began to transport them to Outworld, Sonya thought about Alex.  
  
{I won't break my promise,} she thought as the portal sucked them into the world of Outworld. 


	14. Ch 13 The Enigma

Chapter Thirteen: The Ninja  
  
Kenshi slept under a tree for a couple of hours. He hadn't slept since coming to Outworld and he knew that his comrades would want that, even if it was for a few minutes.  
  
Since becoming blind, Kenshi still found it amazing that he was able to see in his dreams. It was like he was able to see again and everything in the dream always seemed so realistic.  
  
But normally, his dreams weren't pleasant ones and this dream was no exception.  
  
He was walking in an empty field, the sun was starting to set. Kenshi walked around as if he was looking for something. Then, he spotted a blur not too far from him. He walked over to it. The blur looked like it turned, like it was facing him.  
  
Kenshi immediately took out his sword. "Who are you?!" he demanded.  
  
"Kenshi," the blur said. Kenshi loosened the grip on his sword as he heard the sweet, feminine voice. This voice was one Kenshi recognized easily.  
  
"Alex," he sighed with a bit of relief. He placed his sword back behind him.  
  
"It's so good to see you," Alex said. Kenshi squinted his eyes, trying to see her, but no matter what he did, she was nothing but blur.  
  
Alex seemed to put her hand out. "Come, Kenshi, let's go to a place where we'll live in peace. No more war, no more fighting."  
  
Kenshi smirked. He liked the sound of that and he knew that Alex would take him to that peaceful place. But upon reaching out and grabbing her hand, Alex suddenly collapsed into his arms. Kenshi also noticed that he was no longer in the empty field.  
  
He was in the Netherealm.  
  
"Alex," he said, but as he looked down, he no longer saw blur.  
  
A dry skeleton laid in his arms.  
  
"ALEX!!!!!" Kenshi cried out, jumping up, leaving the skeleton down on the ground. He suddenly head an evil laugh. Kenshi looked up and saw him.  
  
"Shang Tsung," he growled. "What did you do to her?!"  
  
Shang laughed a little bit more before speaking. "You've always been a fool, Kenshi. You always fall into one's trickery."  
  
Kenshi quickly took his sword out. "Answer me, sorcerer! What did you do to Alex?!"  
  
"Ah, what love can do to a warrior's mind. You're not only a fool, but a weak one as well. Shouldn't you be concentrating on your mission and not on the mere mortal you call your lover?"  
  
"I said answer me, you coward!" At this point, a fuel of rage boiled through Kenshi's blood.  
  
"Fine, if you're that desperate." Shang smiled as he spoke. "But all I can say is that Alex is a fool just like you. I used her to lure you here, of course, I had already killed her, sucked her up dry. Before I did kill her though, I had the opportunity to pleasure myself with her. It has been years since I enjoyed something like that."  
  
Kenshi's teeth were clenched tight. "You bastard!!" he growled through his teeth. He screamed in rage and ran over to the sorcerer, who only stood there, a smirk spread across his face. When he was a few feet away, Kenshi swung his sword, but Shang easily dodged it. He took out his own sword and stabbed Kenshi from behind.  
  
Kenshi stood there in shock as he felt his own blood drip down his back and on to the ground. He couldn't believe that he fell for it. He let his anger and rage get the best of him and now his flaw lead him to his fatality.  
  
{Perhaps,} he thought. {I am a fool.}  
  
He fell forward into the pit of darkness and as he did, he heard Shang say, "Your soul is mine."  
  
Kenshi found himself in the darkness, but he wasn't lying down, he was sitting. He felt the soft ground he sat on and the tree he leaned against.  
  
He had woken up from his nightmare.  
  
Kenshi felt a headache come to him. He took both his hands to each side of his head and rubbed his temples clockwise. The blindfold around his eyes got in the way, so he took it off, revealing his pale eyes. He rubbed just above them to ease the headache.  
  
Then, the thoughts of the nightmare came back to him.  
  
"Alex," he whispered.  
  
Immediately, he went to his arm panel to get in contact with Jax, wanting to make sure that she was all right, but when he pressed the communication button, he sensed the beacon signal gone.  
  
{What?} he thought in panic. He pressed the button a few more times.  
  
{Why can't I get in contact?}  
  
Then, a horrible thought came to his mind.  
  
{Were they attacked?}  
  
He did have a mission, but it would have to be on hold temporarily. He couldn't get a contact signal and wanted to make sure that everyone, especially Alex, are all right.  
  
He pressed another button, which would transport him back to Earthrealm. Once again, he couldn't get a beacon signal. Kenshi gasped. Not only had something happened back on Earth.......he was also trapped in Outworld.  
  
Kenshi slumped back against the bark of the tree. Many thoughts played in his head in fast motion. He sat there, looking like he was dazed out. Then, Alex came to his mind. In his mind, he could only see blur. He could hear only silence now, except for the light wind blowing around Outworld.  
  
"Alex," he whispered softer than the whistles of the wind. A few seconds later, he was surprised to feel a single, hot tear run down his left cheek.  
  
Kenshi shook his head and whipped the tear away. The last time this happened, he was just a small child.  
  
As he put his hand back down, he suddenly sensed someone nearby. All of Kenshi's thoughts and emotions quickly disappeared like a light. He slowly stood up as he head light footsteps nearby. Kenshi slowly reached behind his back and lingered his fingers around the handle of the sword. When the footsteps were close enough, Kenshi quickly whirled around and lashed his sword out.  
  
To his surprise, the figure grabbed the arm holding the sword.  
  
"I won't hurt you," the figure said calmly. Kenshi could tell that the voice belonged to an older male.  
  
"Who are you?!" Kenshi demanded. "And what do you want?!"  
  
"You're help," the person replied. "You're the first mortal I've seen since the last Mortal Kombat tournament. Have you ever heard of the Emperor Shao Kahn?"  
  
Kenshi put his arm down, but still kept his tight grasp on the sword. "A few times, yes."  
  
"I am one with a thousand dead soldiers within me, all because of the Emperor. I had served him once, but that was the past. You, know, he is dead now."  
  
"Is he?" Kenshi asked without a sign of concern.  
  
"Yes, and now I have the opportunity to free myself. Unfortunately, the orb which holds the souls together in me can only be touched by a mortal. I'm immortal and cannot touch the orb. I need a mortal to destroy it and since you are the first mortal I've met since Shao Kahn's death, I will be needing your help."  
  
"And what makes you think I can trust you that easily? Also, you never answered my other question."  
  
The figure stayed silent for a moment before speaking again. "My name is Ermac. I can sense great power in you. Perhaps, we can make an exchange."  
  
Kenshi gave himself a few seconds to think about the situation. {Because of Shao Kahn,} he thought. {That all these souls are trapped in this one man.}  
  
The tight grasps on his sword began to loosen up a bit. {It's like how my ancestors have been enslaved by Shang Tsung.}  
  
Ermac looked at the swordsman. He was surprised when he slipped the sword back behind him.  
  
"Sudden change of heart, I see," Ermac said.  
  
Kenshi slowly nodded. "I don't trust you just yet," he replied. "But I know how it is. The souls of my ancestors are enslaved as well."  
  
"Shang Tsung," Ermac replied.  
  
"But if you try to fool me," Kenshi continued. "I will whip my sword out and cut you to pieces quicker than a blink of an eye."  
  
Ermac laughed a bit. "For a blind man, you're sharp, but do not worry, you won't be fooled. Like I said before, we can make an exchange."  
  
"What kind of exchange?"  
  
"One which will satisfy you."  
  
Ermac reached out, his hand glowing. Kenshi felt a sharp twitch inside of him and fell back. As he landed, the twitching went away.  
  
"What the hell did you do to me?" Kenshi demanded.  
  
"My, short temper we have," Ermac replied. "You, my friend, now have telekinetic abilities."  
  
"Tele what?" Kenshi asked slowly getting up.  
  
"Telekinetic powers," Ermac repeated. "It's when one is able to......"  
  
"I know what it is," Kenshi said. "But why?"  
  
"Surprising an opponent is one of things that counts in combat. As a blind swordsman, like yourself, you hold many surprises. Having telekinetic powers will surprise them even more, that is why I gave you these powers. I know of three moves that I can teach you in short time. An average person can learn these quickly."  
  
Ermac found a heavy log and brought it closer to Kenshi. "In front of you is a log. First, I want you to lift it up with your mind, just to test your powers out."  
  
Kenshi nodded and focused, his right hand out. His head and his hands glowed in a purple aura and with his mind, he lifted the log slowly above him. Kenshi could feel the weight of the object as he brought it upwards.  
  
"Good," Ermac said. Kenshi put the log back down.  
  
Ermac continued. "Now I will teach you three tricks you can use, especially during combat. The first is the easiest and it's called the Telekinetic Push. Just use your hand as if you are pushing away someone."  
  
Kenshi nodded and focused again. He brought his hand quickly forward and once again felt the weight of the log. The log was pushed a few feet back and hit's a bark of a tree nearby.  
  
"Well done," Ermac said. "Now will you learn another move called the Telekinetic Toss. You freeze your opponent in place and then, bring them to your other side."  
  
Kenshi focused once again. He kept the log in place for a second. Then, he brought it towards him and shifted his body back to let the log pass by him. Then, he let the log land with a loud thud.  
  
"Excellent," Ermac said. "The final move you'll be learning is called the Telekinetic Slam, which is a tricky move because if you miss your opponent, you're pretty much screwed."  
  
Ermac brought the log back closer to Kenshi. "Lift your arm up as you lift the log. Then, turn your palm toward the ground and slam down as if you were slamming a basketball really hard."  
  
Kenshi nodded and focused one more time. He managed to lift the log above his head. Then, he turned his hand and slammed the log down as hard as he could. The log shattered into a million splinters.  
  
Ermac clapped his hands a few times. "You're indeed a fast-learning warrior. I have done you a good favor. Now you must return it."  
  
Kenshi nodded. "Where is this orb?"  
  
"About a mile up. It won't be out of your way. I know that you are heading towards Shang Tsung's Palace. Follow me."  
  
Ermac began walking and Kenshi followed.  
  
The orb was hidden in a tree in the woods. Kenshi could sense the orb's evil power within. Kenshi was hesitant at first, remembering what had happened to him ten years ago.  
  
{But then again,} he thought. {He wouldn't have given me these new powers.}  
  
Kenshi slowly put his hands in the tree, grabbed the orb, and pulled it out. He sighed with relief when nothing happened.  
  
"I thank you for your help," Ermac said.  
  
"Thank you for the powers," Kenshi replied. "But there's one thing I'm wondering......Shang Tsung......."  
  
"There is a Deadly Alliance going on and Shang has every soul he can get. I know that the souls within me will be trapped once they are freed from me, but I do know one thing..........I know that you will set the souls free from Shang's grasps. Oh, you know, I never caught your name."  
  
"It's simply Kenshi."  
  
Ermac nodded. "Good luck, Kenshi."  
  
Kenshi nodded. He tossed the orb in the air. Then, he quickly took out his sword and quickly cut the orb in have like a piece of paper. The two pieces shattered on the ground. Kenshi could feel a big gust of wind blowing against him and he could hear the sounds of a thousands hisses.  
  
If Kenshi was able to see, a blinding light would've hit him as Ermac broke into thousands of green souls. Then, the souls are pulled into the same direction, possibly heading where Shang Tsung's Palace is.  
  
Then, silence hit the air. Kenshi turned his head a few times to get his senses back in gear. He could sense the souls going in the same direction and once again, he followed them. 


	15. Ch 14 The Return

Chapter Fourteen- The Return  
  
Sonya, Jax, Johnny, Kung Lao, Sub-Zero, and Frost walk through Outworld. They could feel the eeriness on the edge of their skins as if someone was following them ready to attack from behind. What disturbed them most of all were the green souls flying above them.  
  
"It's as though they are attracted to something," said Johnny.  
  
"It's obviously that it has something to do with Shang Tsung," replied Sub- Zero.  
  
"Either way," said Jax. "We'll find out."  
  
They all walked in silence for another two minutes before Kung Lao broke it.  
  
"I wanted to visit an old martial arts master who is a native here," he said.  
  
"And who is this?" asked Sonya.  
  
Kung Lao answered. "His name is Bo' Rai Cho. He taught Liu a move that helped him defeat Shang Tsung in the Mortal Kombat tournament ten years ago. I would like to learn the same move as well. I feel that it would increase our chances in defeating the Deadly Alliance."  
  
"Well, I can safely say one thing," said Johnny. "Liu always defeated the bad guy and we were always the sidekicks. Not that I minded, it saved me the stress, but now with him gone, we have to work on how all of us can defeat the bad guys instead of relying on Liu every time."  
  
"For once, I agree with you," replied Jax.  
  
"Go right ahead," said Sonya. "We'll meet up with you soon."  
  
"I'll come back as soon as I can," Kung Lao answered. "I'll see you all soon."  
  
Everyone bowed to Kung Lao. Kung Lao returned the bow and went on his way.  
  
"Is that his way of leaving us behind?" asked Frost with a bit of harshness.  
  
"Quiet," replied Sub-Zero staring at his pupil. Frost narrowed her eyes and turned away.  
  
The group continued walking. Sonya's minded drifted a bit back to all that's happened. She wondered how Alex was holding up back in Earthrealm.  
  
She also wondered if both Kenshi and Cyrax are all right out in Outworld.  
  
{I really do hope they're alive,} she thought feeling a bit grim.  
  
It was then that she noticed a black figure in the distance. Sonya stopped in her tracks and stared at the figure. She saw the black figure walking along going father away from the group.  
  
Then, Sonya noticed a shimmer on the person's face. She narrowed her eyes, knowing that the person had a piece of metal on his face. It was no mistake of who this was.  
  
"Kano," Sonya growled.  
  
Everyone with her noticed that she had stopped walking and turned to her. "What's up, Sonya?" asked Johnny.  
  
"You see that figure in the distance?"  
  
Everyone turned to where she was looking. Indeed, they too noticed the figure in the distance.  
  
"Yeah, what about him?" asked Frost.  
  
"It's Kano, I know it for sure," Sonya replied.  
  
Jax looked at the figure, then back at Sonya. "Are you sure?"  
  
Sonya took out her handgun. "I know it for sure. I'm going after him. I'll catch up with you guys soon." Sonya immediately began to go after the figure.  
  
Jax looked at everyone else, his back turned to where Sonya was going. Before he could speak to them, he too noticed another figure not too far. He immediately recognized the figure wearing black pants, black boots, a black military hat........and a cybernetic heart over his chest.  
  
"Hsu Hao," Jax growled.  
  
Sub-Zero, Frost, and Johnny turned around and noticed the figure.  
  
Jax took out his machine gun. "That's the traitor who destroyed the OIA. I'm going after him. Follow me in about five minutes." Then, he began running after Hsu Hao.  
  
Johnny turned to the ice ninjas. "Seems like everyone's going off doing their own thing today."  
  
"That's what vengeance can do to you," replied Sub-Zero.  
  
After five minutes, the three of them began to walk in the same direction Jax went.  
  
***  
  
Back in Earthrealm......  
  
Alex looked through an old family album. It was filled with many pictures containing her parents, her aunt, and herself at a young age.  
  
She took her time looking at each and every picture and though about the good memories behind them. There were many pictures of her father back in his military days and some pictures contained her mother working at the old bakery shop back in her small town in Florida.  
  
Since her parents passed away, the only other living relative left was her Aunt Maggie, who lived in the same Florida town she grew up in. Since she started living with her, she and Aunt Maggie became close. They were pretty close in age, Alex being 32 and Aunt Maggie being in her late forties. But since joining Special Forces this year, Alex had to make the big move from Florida to Long Island, both in a 21 hour distance. She had only spoke to Aunt Maggie once a week, less than she normally would back in her old home.  
  
Alex then placed her hand over to stomach. She had managed to speak to Aunt Maggie once since Jax and Sonya had left for Outworld. She had told her about Kenshi, but she couldn't bring up the courage to tell her that she was having his child.  
  
{Perhaps, I'll let her know next time,} she thought.  
  
Suddenly, she heard what sounded like someone landing hard on the ground just outside her bedroom door. Alex jumped from her chair.  
  
{What was that?!} she thought.  
  
She walked over to the door and quickly opened it. She gasped when she noticed the very familiar cyborg getting up from the floor. On the ceiling, what looked like a portal just closed up.  
  
"Cyrax!" Alex cried out.  
  
Cyrax shook his head, and then looked over at her. "Alex! It's good to see you!"  
  
Alex managed to smile a bit. "It's good to see you well and alive! Come in." She motioned Cyrax to come in her room. Cyrax walked in and sat on her bed. Alex closed the door and sat at her desk, turning her chair towards her bed so that she can face the cyborg.  
  
"I experienced one hell of a ride," Cyrax said. "How have things been since I lost communication with you all?"  
  
Alex's small smile faded. A little sadness came over her blue eyes. "Well, a lot happened since then. We were really worried about you, what happened?"  
  
"Well, it's a long story, but I'll try to make it as short as possible," Cyrax said. "This reptile-like creature attacked me while I was talking to Jax. He ripped up my arm panel and then tried to kill me. I managed to defend myself with my spin kick and he ran off.  
  
"Then, a vampire named Nitara came to me. She needed my help in retrieving an orb that bounded her native realm with Outworld. The orb was located with the depths of molten rocks. Since I was a cyborg, it would be easier for me to survive down there than for Nitara herself. If I retrieved the orb, then she would return me to Earth.  
  
"So I went with her, then I went into the molten rocks. My censors almost burnt out as soon as I put my head in. It was really bright and hot down there, but I wasn't about to give up. After a long search, I found the orb in the deepest part of the molten rocks. I grabbed it and quickly made my way back up.  
  
"When I did get back to surface, I gave the orb to her. Then, she took what looked like a crystal necklace and summoned a portal. There was only enough time for me to bow to her before I was swept into the gateway. Then, I landed right in front of your door. A softer landing would've been good, but at least I'm back home."  
  
Then, Cyrax's chest opened up. A machine popped out holding a bottle of Heineken. Cyrax grabbed the bottle.  
  
"Although I didn't complete my actual mission," Cyrax said. "We should at least celebrate my return! Join me for a drink!"  
  
Alex almost laughed. "Didn't General White tell you to not bring beer with you on the mission?"  
  
"Yes," Cyrax answered. "But this shows that he should do a cavity search next time." He brought the bottle towards Alex. "Take a sip."  
  
Alex pushed the bottle away. "Thanks, but I have a story to tell you myself. You see, after we lost contact with you, we sent Kenshi out to look for you. A week later, the OIA was destroyed. Yours and Jax's suspicions were corrected about Hsu Hao. He turned out to be a trader. He's obviously involved in an organization who's out after us. Basically, not only have we lost contact with you, we lost contact with Kenshi as well. Jax and Sonya are in Outworld right now looking for you two."  
  
"I feel so special," Cyrax said. "But what about you? How come you're here and not kicking Outworld butt?"  
  
Alex lightly put her hand over her stomach. "Well, for one thing, Kenshi and I are together now.  
  
"I knew there was something about you two," Cyrax said with delight.  
  
Alex smiled a bit and continued. "Well, eh, here's the thing.....I'm pregnant."  
  
"Pregnant?" Cyrax spoke. "Damn, you and Kenshi really must've got it on!"  
  
"Be quiet," Alex laughed, the redness coming to her face. She was glad that Cyrax was back in one piece. He knew how to make her laugh, even in the most grim times.  
  
"Well, I congratulate you," Cyrax continued. "But hopefully, everyone else will come back in one piece, and especially Kenshi for you and your kid."  
  
"Yeah. I should get in contact with Sonya right away to let her know that you're back."  
  
"Good idea." Cyrax opened the Heineken bottle with one twist. "So, when's the baby shower?"  
  
"I'm not sure," Alex replied. "But I know one thing, there's going to be no beer there."  
  
"Darn." 


	16. Ch 15 The Final Justice

A/N: Sorry about not updating in a while. Hopefully this new update will be worth it. Enjoy!  
  
Chapter Fifteen: The Final Justice  
  
Sonya Blade made her way through the harsh wind conditions as she followed her long-time rival Kano. The winds were blowing at about what seemed like 80 miles per hour, the sands being ripped from the ground and being taken away by the winds. Sonya ignored the sharp, stabbing pains from the sands on her skin as she followed Kano to two pyramids standing in the middle of nowhere.  
  
Sonya narrowed her blue eyes at Kano, tightening her grip on her black 8mm handgun. For a decade, she has been chasing Kano down. He was a member of the Black Dragon, an international gang known for drug smuggling and stealing of weapons from other countries.  
  
And now it was time to bring him down.  
  
It was then that Sonya heard her radio go off.  
  
"Sonya Blade, this is Alexandra Walker, come in Sonya."  
  
Sonya shook her head a bit. She took her radio up to her face and spoke into it. "Sonya Blade here, is it an emergency?"  
  
"Well," Alex answered. "I wouldn't call it an emergency, but more of a very important message."  
  
Sonya looked up from her radio. She saw that Kano wasn't too far from her. {I'll make this quick,} she thought. She spoke into the radio again. "Report."  
  
"You guys don't need to worry about Cyrax any more," Alex said. "He's safe back here on Earth now."  
  
Sonya was both shocked and happy to hear this news. {How did Cyrax get back on Earth?} she asked herself. But what was more important was that he returned to Earth safely. One of her men was somehow rescued from Outworld.  
  
Now they had to only save Kenshi.  
  
Sonya talked back into the radio. "Thank you for the report. I'll have to get back to you in a little while, I got some business to take care of, it won't take long."  
  
"Okay," Alex replied. "Alexandra Walker signing out."  
  
"Same." Sonya put her radio back to her waist pouch. As she closed up the pouch, she suddenly felt a hand touch her left shoulder. She quickly whirled around to get a better look at who was behind her.  
  
Kano!  
  
"So, we meet again, Sonya Blade," Kano said, a devilish smile spread across his face. "Care to dance once again? Or how about a little hello kiss."  
  
Sonya narrowed her eyes at the Black Dragon member. "I've been at your tail for the last decade. I'm surprised you're even still alive. Face it Kano, you're the only Black Dragon left. It's over.....it's been over."  
  
Kano laughed for a few seconds before speaking again. "Oh, Sonya, you're unaware of what's going on are you? It's far from over. The Deadly Alliance has only begun. The Dragon King's undefeatable army will all be resurrected by the souls of conquered warriors. We will conquer Outworld and we will conquer Earthrealm. We will get every soul we could get......including that little agent you sent out here."  
  
Sonya eyes became wide opened. {Kenshi!}  
  
She immediately raised her gun and pointed it at Kano's face. "What did you do to Kenshi?! And how did you find out about him?"  
  
"Oh, seems I hit a sensitive spot there, didn't I?" Kano asked mockingly. "Well, we didn't reach him yet, but when we do, he'll be a goner. Shang Tsung and Quan-Chi won't allow anyone to get in the way of their operation. As we speak, someone is after him right now. Don't know who thought, but it don't matter, your little blind agent could be dead by now....."  
  
"You keep Kenshi out of this!"  
  
Kano smiled more. "You know, I thought you had a thing for that Johnny Cage. Now you're in for the blind man?"  
  
Sonya narrowed her eyes. "No, it's far from that. I made a promise and I'm going to keep that promise, no matter what the cause."  
  
"How sweet," Kano said. "So what are you going to do now.....shoot me with that little toy of yours?"  
  
Sonya grunted a little. Sure, it would have been easy to just blow his brains out and end it right there, but she wasn't about to take the easy way out, not after all these years. She was going to have to put up a fight, no matter how long it took.  
  
She placed her gun in another pouch on her waist. Then, she lifted her arms and curled her hands into fists. "No, I'm not going down without a fight. Bring your worst."  
  
"With pleasure," Kano replied and immediately darted after her. He only had to run a few feet towards her before he was close enough to throw a punch at her. When he did, Sonya stepped back and let him pass through. Sonya elbowed Kano in the back of the head. Kano only held his skull as he quickly turned back around with a small growl.  
  
Kano put his hand down and began throwing series of punches and kicks at the Special Forces agent. Sonya played on defense blocking as many moves as Kano gave her. Then, she managed to find an opening and managed to slug him in the stomach. Kano was caught by surprise and the wind was knocked out of him. Then, she followed it up with an uppercut to his chin, causing his neck to snap back. Then she turned 180 degrees and slammed her elbow into her face, causing Kano to rear back.  
  
"Pathetic," Kano said. With a smirk on his face, Kano leaned his face forward. A red laser from the eye on the metallic side of his face shot quickly at Sonya. Sonya didn't see this coming and couldn't react fast enough to get out of the way in time. The laser pierces through her right shoulder and the pressure from it caused her to rear back. Sonya let out a short cry as she felt the immense pain from the laser. When the laser disappeared, Kano jumped right back towards her and threw more punches at her. Sonya only blocked the first few, but the pain in her shoulder began to distract her.  
  
Kano jabbed Sonya with his fingers into her eyes, temporarily blinding her. Then, he jabbed his knee into her stomach, then followed it up with a few more punches and kicks. After a few seconds of this, he jumped up, rolled himself into a ball, and quickly brought himself towards Sonya. He managed to knock her down to the ground.  
  
Sonya landed hard into the sand. She could feel the coppery taste of her own blood in her mouth. She could also feel the blood dripping down her face from her head. {How could this be?} she thought with anger. {He took me down so damn easily like that. I can't let him get away with this!}  
  
Kano walked over to Sonya and grinned. "You know Sonya, why do you waste your time chasing after me? I'm only going to get away again and you know it. Such a shame, isn't it? Luckily for you, I have business to take care of, so I'll spare your life. You're going to die any ways once the Deadly Alliance goes in full force, so what's the perfect way of dying than to die knowing that you've been defeated by the man you've chased after for the last decade? Farewell Sonya." Then, Kano began walking away.  
  
Just as he did, Sonya managed to get herself up. She wasn't about to let Kano walk away, especially that quickly. His back was turned to her, giving her a clear shot of her next move. She ran towards him, jumped in the air, and aimed her left foot at him. She managed to hit him in the back, causing him to feel stunned and he fell forward.  
  
Sonya landed back on her feet and looked down at Kano. "You should know me by now, Kano. You should know that I don't give up, especially that easily, you coward."  
  
Kano got himself up and narrowed her eye at her. "I gave you a chance to live, but now you're going to die, you little bitch!"  
  
Kano ran closer to her and lifted his leg to kick her. Sonya quickly blocked the move, then followed it up with her series of punches and kicks. Kano only defended himself with the first few moves, but Sonya managed to break through his block and smashed her fists, elbows, knees, and legs into his body in high speed and without mercy. After a minute of this, she ended her fury by kicking her right leg upward, hitting Kano's jaw. Then, she brought her leg back down, hitting the top of his head, causing him to go down on his knees. She ended the kick by bringing her leg forward and landed her foot hard into Kano's stomach, causing him to fly back. All of the punches and kicks he received had weakened him.  
  
Sonya walked over to the former Black Dragon. As she did, she went into another one of her pouches around her waist. She grabbed a handful of lavender-colored sand and took it out.  
  
When she was closer to him, Kano looked up at her in his weak state. Sonya smirked. "It ends here, Kano. But first, I want to give you a good-bye kiss."  
  
She brought her hand towards her face. She kissed the tips of her fingers, then blew the sand into Kano's face. Immediately, Kano began coughing. After a few coughs, Kano began to vomit, which match the color of the ground at first. When he vomited a second time, it came up as blood. After that, Sonya performed the final move of the fatality. She quickly took two steps in front of her, then jumped in the air as high as she could. Then, she landed so hard on his back that it caused Kano's head to explode to a million pieces.  
  
Sonya stood on his back for a few more seconds before stepping off. She looked down at the bloody mess for a little bit. "It's finally over," Sonya muttered under her breath. "Kano's finally dead."  
  
She turned her head just in time to see her allies, Johnny, Sub-Zero, and Frost running from a far distance. She raised an eyebrow when she noticed something.  
  
{Where's Jax?}  
  
She began going after them.  
  
***  
  
Major Jax Briggs hid behind a statue, standing there like a predator waiting for his prey. One thing was sure, that's nearly exactly what it was.  
  
Jax spotted the traitor Hsu Hao not too long ago. Jax couldn't believe how Hsu Hao completely fooled everyone into believing that Hsu Hao was a soldier for the Chinese Secret Military. Who Hsu Hao really was, Jax wasn't sure, but he was sure of one thing....Hsu Hao was a trader and is somehow involved with the Deadly Alliance. He was also responsible for not only nearly killing Jax, but has also risked the lives of two of their agents.  
  
Jax looked up at the dark sky. He noticed the green-colored souls passing him, all going in the same direction. Jax sighed. {We'll free you guys soon.}  
  
That's when he heard running footsteps coming from behind him. Jax narrowed his eyes from under his dark military eye goggles, preparing for whoever was coming. When the footsteps were closer, Jax jumped right in front of the person. Indeed, it was Hsu Hao himself, just without his black conductor's hat.  
  
Hsu Hao recognized the agent and his eyes were immediately filled with fear. Jax immediately grabbed him by the neck and threw him against the wall.  
  
"YOU!!" Jax screamed in rage. "HOW'S IT LIKE TO BE IN THE RECEIVING END NOW, TRAITOR?!!"  
  
"How did you get here?!" Hsu Hao said, trembling in fear.  
  
"That don't matter no more, motherf***er! You destroyed the Outerworld Investigation Agency, you nearly killed me with your little nuclear bomb, and now two of our agents are lost, all because of you!!" Jax's grip on Hsu Hao's neck tightened. "You better start explaining now! Who do you work for?"  
  
Hsu Hao raised his hands and quickly put them out as far as he could get them in front of Jax. Then, to Jax's surprise, a huge gust of winds along with dust particles come out of Hsu Hao's hands. This caused Jax to let go of Hsu Hao and he flew about a hundred feet back before landing hard on the ground.  
  
"I've got more surprises up my sleeves than you think," Hsu Hao said with a smirk. He ran over towards Jax. Jax got up and when Hsu Hao was close enough, Jax, fueled with rage, grabbed the artificial heart implant on his chest and with all his might, he ripped it off the traitor's chest.  
  
Immediately, crimson blood poured from Hsu Hao's chest. He screamed in pain and agony and fell to his knees. Then, he fell forward and became lifeless.  
  
Jax tossed the implant to the side. "That's what you get!"  
  
A few seconds later, Sub-Zero, Frost, and Johnny caught up with him. Frost saw the mess by Jax. "Ugh."  
  
"What the hell just happened?" asked Johnny.  
  
Jax sighed. "I settled a score. Now we can go find Sonya and keep going with our mission."  
  
Just as he said that, he noticed Sonya running up to the group. "Hey!" Sonya cried.  
  
"Speaking of the devil," said Johnny.  
  
Sonya looked down at the body. "Heh, guess we found Hsu Hao."  
  
"How was your meeting with Kano?" asked Sub-Zero.  
  
Sonya smirked. "He's no longer a problem for us."  
  
"Finally," answered Jax.  
  
That's when they heard a thunderbolt next to them. Everyone turned around and noticed Raiden coming towards them. Just behind him were Kung Lao and a large Asian man.  
  
"We have found Shang's palace," said Raiden. "We must get going."  
  
"Who's this guy?" asked Jax looking at the unfamiliar man.  
  
Kung Lao turned his head towards him. "This is Bo' Rai Cho. He trained Liu Kang in the move that helped him defeat Shang years ago. Now I've learned the move."  
  
{That was quick,} thought Sonya.  
  
"Greetings," said Bo', bowing to them. Everyone else followed.  
  
"Wait," cried Sonya. Everyone turned to her. "I have good news and bad news."  
  
"Go on," said Jax.  
  
"Alex got in contact with me just before I fought Kano. Somehow, Cyrax came back to Earth so he's safe."  
  
"That's great!" Jax cried. "But the bad news is Kenshi's still missing, right?"  
  
"No," Sonya replied, looking at Jax seriously. "The Deadly Alliance have discovered Kenshi and realized he works for Special Forces. Now they sent someone after him to eliminate him."  
  
"What?!" Jax cried out.  
  
"Yeah," Sonya said. She turned to the others. "Let's get going! Kenshi's life is at stake! We have to get to him first before they do." 


	17. Ch 16 The Sorcerers

Chapter Sixteen: The Sorcerers  
  
Alex sat at her desk doing some paper works. At first, she was able to concentrate on her work, but after a while, her mind began drifting off. She tried to push her thoughts aside and concentrate on what she had to do, but it was no use. After a few minutes, she put the papers to the side and got up from her seat. She walked over to the window and looked out of it. There wasn't much activity going on out on the base, mainly because it was a weekend.  
  
Alex let out a long sigh. It has been a month since Special Forces sent Kenshi out to his mission to look for Cyrax. And it was only a few days ago that Cyrax came back to Earthrealm safely. Sadly, Kenshi was still out there. Alex placed a hand over her stomach. Just inside her was a little life waiting to be born.  
  
{Kenshi,} Alex thought. {Please come home soon. I'm not the only one waiting for your safe return.}  
  
She didn't notice that Cyrax came in until he spoke. "How goes the paper work?"  
  
Alex turned her head to face the cyborg. "Hey," she replied. "I can't concentrate on those papers. I can't stop thinking about the mission. It's been over a month since we sent Kenshi out to look for you. Plus I haven't heard from Sonya since I last talked to her about how you got back here. I wish I was out there helping them, even if it meant a miscarriage. I'd rather be out there helping than to sit here and keep wondering in my mind what's going on."  
  
Cyrax walked over to Alex and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Alex. I'm sure they're going through something big right now. Hopefully they'll all come home safe."  
  
"I hope so too," Alex replied. She lifted her hand and placed it over Cyrax's. Then, she looked back out the window.  
  
***  
  
Sonya Blade, Jax Briggs, Johnny Cage, Sub-Zero, Kung Lao, Frost, and Bo' Rai Cho made their way up a large hill. All were silent as they went up, unsure of what lies ahead of them. When they finally reached the top of the hill, they noticed what looked like a palace. It was mostly red and gray and mainly made out of concrete. But there was another feature at the palace that caught everyone's attention. There was what looked like a green swirl, which shot up as high as the sky could get. The souls everyone has been following headed inside the palace. Some more souls headed straight towards the swirl and flew around it a few times before being sucked right into it.  
  
Kung Lao growled. "Shang Tsung."  
  
"He's obviously here," said Sub-Zero.  
  
"And I will finally avenge Liu Kang."  
  
Bo' Rai Cho looked over at Kung Lao. "Do not let your taste for revenge take over you. You do not want that to happen."  
  
Kung Lao sighed. Indeed the old master was right. He shouldn't let vengeance get in the way. If he let that happen, he would end up in the same places as all of the souls Shang Tsung has collected for many years.  
  
"Well, let's get going," said Johnny as he began walking towards the palace.  
  
Everyone else followed except Sonya and Jax. The two agents looked up at the palace. Then, Jax turned to Sonya. "Can I ask you one thing before we head off?"  
  
Sonya turned her head towards her Special Forces partner and awaited her answer.  
  
"When you last talked to Alex, how come you didn't tell her about the possibility of Kenshi's life being at stake?"  
  
Sonya sighed. "I don't want her to be more worried than she already is. Just by telling her will raise her worries and fears even more. Just imagine the outcome if Heaven forbids we find Kenshi dead. It's best that she doesn't know until we're sure about what's going on, especially for her health, the baby especially."  
  
Jax only nodded in reply. Then the two agents followed their allies into the palace.  
  
They made their way into the palace. There were dead skeletons in armor standing in straight line holding various weapons in their hands. All of them walked through the palace with determination on their faces as they prepared themselves for what's to come.  
  
Then, they walked into what looked like the main room. It was there that they found the base of the green swirl they spotted outside. Johnny then spotted three shadows, two of them creature-like, holding what looks like a normal human.  
  
"Look," he said to the others. He pointed at what he saw. Everyone followed and noticed the shadowed figures.  
  
"What's going on over there?" asked Bo' Rai Cho.  
  
It was then that the two creatures hurled the other person they were holding right into the green swirl. The person emerged from the shadows and everyone got a good look of who it was. It was Sub-Zero who said this person's name.  
  
"Scorpion."  
  
Scorpion's eyes glowed yellow and he stretched out his hand as if he was reaching for something. The souls inside the green swirl pulled him in until everyone could no longer see him. Then, the sounds of limbs being ripped off was heard and some blood poured out from the green swirl. Everyone looked at the green swirl, shocked by what just happened.  
  
Sub-Zero turned to the others. "Scorpion must've got out of the Netherealm when Quan-Chi did. He must've tried to go after him."  
  
"What are you talking about?" asked Sonya.  
  
Sub-Zero explained. "When I last fought with Scorpion, I was barely conscious when Scorpion said that he was avenged the death of his family and clan. I told him that I wasn't the killer and that it was someone else. Then, Quan-Chi came by and admitted that he was the true killer. He tried sending Scorpion back to the 5th plane of the Netherealm, but then Scorpion attacked Quan-Chi. The last thing I could remember was the both of them disappearing before darkness took over me."  
  
"If that's the case," said Frost. "Then this Quan-Chi guy's not too far from us."  
  
"Look," said Sonya suddenly. Everyone looked at her and noticed that she was looking at something. Everyone looked at where she was looking and noticed a young Asian woman lying on the floor. It looked at though she must've died not too long ago as her body was slowly beginning to turn blue.  
  
"They're definitely not too far," said Jax.  
  
"And indeed you're correct," said a voice. Everyone looked up and noticed a figure in the shadows not too far from the dead woman. When the figure emerged from the shadows, they realized who they were dealing with.  
  
"Quan-Chi,' said Bo' Rai Cho.  
  
"That is correct," Quan-Chi replied.  
  
It was then that the two creatures behind them took notice of Quan-Chi. They walked out from the shadow, their looks giving chills up everyone's spine. One of them was dark green and tall with three yellow eyes. Two of the eyes were in normal places while the third was on it's forehead. It also held a black ball with it's massive hand.  
  
The other was just as hideous with no skin, only muscles and bones showing. It wore a colorful mask, most likely to hide it's face. An iron club with spikes covered it's right arm.  
  
The second creature pointed it's clubbed arm at Quan-Chi. "There you are! Now you shall die for betraying up!"  
  
The other creature roared and the two ran towards Quan-Chi. Quan-Chi smirked and immediately took out a golden object. A green jewel in the middle glowed and suddenly, the two creatures stopped in their tracks.  
  
Quan-Chi grinned with delight. "This amulet is sure worth having. And to think Shang could get away with forming an alliance with these two Oni demons, Moloch and Drahmin, and to think that I wouldn't know. He couldn't be any more pathetic. Now that I got that pest, Scorpion, out of the way, it's your turn to face my wrath."  
  
"Not so fast!" someone cried out. Everyone turned around and noticed a young-looking woman coming from behind them. Her extremely long dark hair was tied back in a ponytail and a blue cloth covered from her nose to her chin. She also wore a blue swimsuit-like outfit with netting sewn in the middle, blue knee-high boots, and blue elbow-length gloves. In her hands were two fans with sharp blades in the middle.  
  
"Kitana!" cried Sonya.  
  
"It's good to see you all again," Kitana replied. "But we'll chat later. Right now we've got business to take care of."  
  
It was then that Kung Lao realized something. "Where's Shang Tsung?"  
  
Quan-Chi's grin turned into a smirk. "He's taking care of business, there's no need to worry about him."  
  
"Worry?!" Kung Lao growled in anger. "He killed Liu!"  
  
Kitana looked over at Kung Lao in shock, her brown eyes widened. "Liu's dead?"  
  
"That's right," said Quan-Chi. "And soon you will be joining him in the Soulnado," he pointed to the green swirl behind him. "Actually, you'll just go in the Soulnado, Shang kept Liu's soul for himself."  
  
"Quit talking and bring it!" demanded Jax.  
  
"As you wish." He raised the amulet in the air. The green jewel in the middle glowed once again. Suddenly, the eyes of the skeletons around them glowed and they began moving about. Then they faced Quan-Chi as if they were waiting for their orders.  
  
Quan-Chi let out a laugh. "The Deadly Alliance has begun. Every single one of the soldiers of the Dragon King's undefeatable army has a soul and are ready to conquer Outworld and Earthrealm. But first, they will begin by destroying you mortals." He pointed to the mortals, then looked over at the army. "ATTACK!!!!!!!"  
  
***  
  
Kenshi could sense it. The chi of the souls he has been following since coming to Outworld grew more stronger than ever.  
  
{This could be it,} Kenshi thought. {I may finally get to Shang Tsung after all of these years!}  
  
As he walked forward, Kenshi could feel the soil underneath his feet. Then, after taking a few more steps, he began to feel concrete. Kenshi stopped on his tracks. Then, he could feel a bit of coldness around his left wrist.  
  
Kenshi knew exactly where that coldness was coming from. He brought both hands in front of him. Then, he took his right hand over to his left wrist and touched the cold bracelet with his fingertips. It was the bracelet Alex had given him right before he went through the portal. Kenshi sighed to himself. It's been over a month since she has been in his presence. He still hoped that she was okay along with everyone else at the Special Forces base.  
  
{Don't worry Alex,} he thought. {I'll get home as soon as I can.}  
  
It was then that he could hear someone coming out from somewhere. Kenshi sniffed a little as he slowly began to reach his hand towards the hand of his sword. "Who's there?" he demanded.  
  
The figure walked a little closer to him.  
  
"Answer me!" Kenshi ordered.  
  
Then, the figure spoke. "You've become a bit more aggressive since the last time I saw you. As a matter of fact, I was the last person you ever saw."  
  
Kenshi immediately lashed his sword out and pointed it toward the figure. "It's you, sorcerer!"  
  
"Indeed it is," Shang Tsung replied. Kenshi could sense that Shang too held a weapon in his head just by the stench of the metal. "Are you here to join your ancestors?"  
  
"No!" Kenshi exclaimed. "I am here to eliminate you and free my ancestors. I spent the last ten years searching for you. It ends here, sorcerer!"  
  
Shang laughed a little. "You did yourself pretty well for a blind man. I thought I had killed you ten years ago. This time, I'll make sure that you're dead for good and then we'll see how much of a fool you are. Prepare to die, swordsman."  
  
"And same goes for you." Kenshi started running closer to Shang. Shang did the same. They both lashed their swords at each other and the two swords collided, signaling the beginning of their sword duel.  
  
*************************************************************  
  
Cliffhanger! I'll bring out the next chapter soon! Sad news too, there's only 5 more chapter left of this fic. 


	18. Ch 17 The Battles: Part One

A/N: I apologize for the long, long wait for the next chapter. The worst part is, I put all of you in a major cliffhanger O_O. Well, the wait for the next chapter is finally over. Enjoy!  
  
Chapter Seventeen: The Battles: Part One  
  
Quan-Chi laughed as he looked at the fighters in front of him; Sonya Blade, Jax Briggs, Johnny Cage, Sub-Zero, Frost, Kung-Lao, Bo' Rai Cho, and Kitana, all who stood in front of him. Around the fighters, the mummified soldiers of the Dragon King's undefeatable army turned to Quan-Chi awaiting their orders.  
  
"The Deadly Alliance has began!" the sorcerer cried out. "Every single one of the soldiers of the Dragon King's undefeatable army has a soul and are ready to conquer Outworld and Earthrealm."  
  
Sonya looked down at the dead woman by her feet. She was a beautiful woman with long black hair, each of her strands spreading to different parts of the black marble floor. She wore a Chinese lavender out fit designed with white flowers with a small slit going down the middle ending at her naval. A purple scarf wrapped around her slim waist.  
  
{Her soul must've been the last they needed to revive all of the soldiers,} Sonya thought.  
  
Quan-Chi continued. "But first, they will begin by destroying you mortals." He pointed to Sonya and the rest of her allies, then looked over at the army. "ATTACK!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Sonya also noticed the Oni demons, Moloch and Drahmin coming towards them. {With whatever amount of strength they have and the number of soldiers we're going to fight, this is going to be a lot of work.}  
  
Jax turned to everyone. "I'll fight those demons. You guys take care of the mummies."  
  
"You can't take those two by yourself," said Johnny. "I'll help."  
  
"Be careful!" Sonya called out.  
  
"We will," Jax replied. He and Johnny ran over to the Oni demons. Johnny took out his nunchakus and headed towards Drahmin while Jax ran over to Moloch.  
  
Immediately upon reaching them, Jax and Johnny were smashed in face with the demons' weapons, Drahmin's iron club, and Moloch's huge black ball. The two fighters flew backwards before landing hard on the ground.  
  
Johnny rubbed his right arm. "Owe, that hurt."  
  
"Did it really?" Jax replied sarcastically. "I seriously felt like I got hit by Earthrealm itself.  
  
Both of them immediately got up and ran back towards their opponents. Both Oni demons stood in their stances prepared to face Jax and Johnny again.  
  
Johnny ran over to Drahmin, his nunchakus out. "Come get a piece of me!" he cried out.  
  
Drahmin let out a grunt and charged after the mortal actor. He threw his clubbed arm at Johnny's head. Johnny ducked his head down, then chucked the loose end of his nunchakus at Drahmin's abdomen as quickly as he could. The move connected and Drahmin reared back a couple of feet, the flies around him following him. Johnny crouched down to perform a sweep kick, but Drahmin saw the move coming and performed a back-flip kicking Johnny's jaw in the process. Johnny slid back on the marble floor about five feet.  
  
Johnny quickly got himself back up, ignoring the pain in his jaw. He could also taste the copper-tasting blood in his mouth and throbbing on the left side of his cheek. When Drahmin kicked him, he had bit down the inside of his left cheek and ripped a small piece off. Johnny could taste that piece of his cheek bitten off and he spitted it out.  
  
As soon as Johnny straightened himself up, Drahmin was just a foot away and tried to knee Johnny in the chest. Johnny saw it coming and blocked the move. The two began exchanging punches and kicks at each other, one weakening the other.  
  
When Johnny threw another punch at the demon's face, Drahmin grabbed the fist with one hand and held it with his large hand. "Face it mortal," Drahmin said, his deep voice rumbling behind his mask. "You will never defeat me."  
  
"Not if I can help it," Johnny muttered under his breath. He took his free hand and swung upward. A green ball of energy came out from his hand and smashed Drahmin in the face. His mask shattered into pieces and fell quickly on to the floor. Johnny looked at the demon's face. His eyes were nothing but white and his face was just like the rest of his body, no skin, all muscles with a few bones sticking out. When Drahmin growled at him, his showed off his yellow teeth.  
  
Johnny arched up one of his eyebrows. "And Jax tells me I should look in the mirror when it comes to being ugly."  
  
Drahmin let out a roar and sprinted towards the Earthrealm actor. Johnny quickly lifted his right leg and glided towards the demon. Green shadows followed as well. Johnny managed to land his foot into Drahmin's chest, breaking a few ribs. Drahmin stumbled back. This gave Johnny a chance to finish the battle.  
  
Johnny brought his open right hand up and quickly planted it into Drahmin's gut. This caused the Oni demon to fall to his knees and cough up some blood. Then, Johnny raised his right hand up and once again planted his hand onto Drahmin, this time in the head. He managed to get through the skull and into his brain. Blood splattered everywhere and Drahmin screamed in pain and agony. When the demon stopped screaming and finally fell limp, Johnny took the brain in his hand and ripped it out of his head.  
  
"I just love doing tha........" Johnny tried to say, but before he could finish his sentence, one of the mummified soldiers knocked him down to the ground.  
  
Meanwhile, Jax spent most of his time trying to dodge away from Moloch's ball of chain. He was lucky when he was first hit, but had the feeling that he wouldn't be so lucky next time.  
  
"Come on, big fella!" Jax cried out. "I dare you to try to take a swing at me...again!"  
  
Moloch pulled back a bit. This made Jax think that the Oni demon was going to take another swing at the Special Forces agent. Instead, what he did next gave Jax a bit of a surprise. He inhaled quickly and a huge gust of wind carried Jax right off his feet and towards Moloch.  
  
"HEY!!" Jax cried out. When close enough, Moloch took his free hand and smacked Jax upward. Jax flew in the air and as he came back down, Moloch took his ball and smashed his left arm, the metal breaking off. Jax flew to the side and landed hard on the ground.  
  
Jax got himself up. "That arm cost me a lot of money! Now you're really going to pay!"  
  
Jax ran up to Moloch. Moloch swung his ball. Jax duck and kicked his leg as hard as he could into Moloch's shin. Nothing broke, but Jax send Moloch enough pain to rear back a bit.  
  
"Now we're getting somewhere," Jax replied.  
  
Meanwhile, the others were fighting the mummified army.  
  
"There's too many of them!" cried Kung Lao as he dodged a sword from of the soldiers. "We'll never be able to get them all down!"  
  
"Keep going!" replied Sonya as she broke a shin from another. "The more we take down, the better!"  
  
Frost had just turned her head to fight the next soldier when she noticed Quan-Chi creeping his way towards the exit. She narrowed her blue eyes at him.  
  
"You're not getting away!" she cried out as she sprinted towards the sorcerer. Sub-Zero had heard his student say that. He turned out and watched her run towards Quan-Chi.  
  
"Frost, no!" Sub-Zero cried. He dodged out of the way of the flying weapons around him as he made his way towards where Frost was running. When he did, Quan-Chi had noticed her.  
  
"Fool," Quan-Chi said. He brought both of his hands to his right side, then quickly shot it out. A yellowish-green shaped skull with large, black eyes shot out from his hands. Frost did not expect this and didn't have time to react. The skull went into her torso and stung her. It felt like a million bees stinging her all at once.  
  
"Ahh!" Frost cried out as she reared back. When the skull disappeared, she fell down to the ground unconscious.  
  
Sub-Zero looked at his pupil for a second, then back up at Quan-Chi. "You bastard," he muttered. He bended down a bit and quickly glided towards Quan-Chi. Sub-Zero went in such high speed that Quan-Chi didn't have time to react. With his fist, Sub-Zero gave Quan-Chi a hard punch. It was enough to make him fly back. As the sorcerer flew back, the amulet fell out of his pocket and glided twenty feet away from him. Quan-Chi got himself up, not realizing that the amulet is no longer in his possession. Sub-Zero ran over to him and the two began their battle. For awhile, they exchanged punches, kicks, and blocks. Then, Quan-Chi went down on to the ground and glided towards Sub-Zero. He quickly lifted his left leg, hitting Sub-Zero in the groin and sending him upwards. Sub-Zero flew upwards and back down head first. The landing was not hard enough to knock him out, but hard enough for him to see stars.  
  
Between the pain in his head and the pain in his groin, Sub-Zero couldn't get himself up. Quan-Chi saw his opportunity and took out his double broadswords and brought them to Sub-Zero's neck.  
  
"Now, Ice Ninja," Quan-Chi said with a sneer. "You will join those in the Soulnado along with that little female version of you."  
  
Meanwhile, Jax was still dodging Moloch's ball. "When will this guy stop?" Jax asked himself.  
  
That's when he noticed something gold in the corner of his eye. Jax quickly turned around and noticed the amulet lying on the ground. He also noticed Frost down, Quan-Chi holding two swords towards the weaken Sub- Zero's neck, and his friends surrounded by the mummified army.  
  
"We did our best," said Kitana. "Fight with every last strength you have."  
  
"That's right," said Bo' Rai Cho. "At least we would go down like the honorable warriors we are."  
  
{I won't let that happen,} Jax thought.  
  
Jax suddenly sense Moloch close behind. Moloch swung his ball and once again, Jax dodged it.  
  
"I didn't want to do this," Jax said taking out his machine gun. "But you asked for it!"  
  
Jax pulled the trigger and shot the Oni demon as much as he could. For a second, Moloch was fine, but afterwards, he began to rear back and scream. Jax had almost ran out of bullets when the demon finally went down dead.  
  
"Nighty night, sucka," Jax said. He turned around and quickly picked up the amulet.  
  
Quan-Chi looked down at Sub-Zero. Sub-Zero narrowed his eyes at the sorcerer. "Go ahead, kill me, but you'll never win."  
  
"You're right and wrong," Quan-Chi replied. "We will conquer the realms, that's where you're wrong. But you are right about me going to kill you. DIE!"  
  
Just before Quan-Chi raised his swords, he suddenly heard the sounds of weapons behind dropped to the ground. He looked up and noticed the army facing one direction.  
  
"What the..." Quan-Chi muttered. He looked at where the army was looking. They were all looking at Jax, who was holding the amulet up.  
  
"It's impossible!" the sorcerer cried touching the pouch where the amulet was before.  
  
"That's where you're wrong," said Sub-Zero with a raspy voice. "It is possible."  
  
Jax cocked his head towards Quan-Chi. "Eliminate him."  
  
The army turned towards Quan-Chi and ran after him.  
  
"No!" Quan-Chi. "I'm you're master!"  
  
"No, Quan-Chi," Jax yelled out to him. "It is one who holds the amulet, so basically it can be anyone. All I have to say other that is...that's what you get!"  
  
The mortals watched as the dead army grabbed Quan-Chi. He screamed with terror as his limbs were ripped off of him piece by piece and shredded him into pieces. Once that was enough, Jax dropped the amulet on to the floor and stomped on it as hard as he could, shattering it into a million pieces.  
  
With that impact, the army crumbled to the ground and the souls that were in each of the bodies floated out slowly.  
  
All of the souls floated towards outside except one. That soul lingered over to the young woman the fighters found before the fight. The soul went back into her body. The woman's eyes snapped open and she began coughing.  
  
"She's alive!" Sonya cried out. Everyone ran over to her as Sub-Zero and Frost got themselves up.  
  
The woman looked at everyone slowly. "What happened?"  
  
"We'll tell you everything outside," Jax replied. "What's you're name?"  
  
"Li Mei," she replied.  
  
"Wait a minute," Kitana said. "If the Soulnado is still running, when why did the souls go out..........."  
  
Before she finished her question, the building began to rumble and small rocks began falling towards the ground.  
  
"Time to go!" Jax cried carrying Li Mei into her arms. Sonya and Kung Lao helped Sub-Zero while Kitana and Johnny helped Frost out of the building. They began to make their way outside before the palace engulfed them.  
  
*************************************************************  
  
Another chapter down! Hopefully I can get the next chapter out A LOT sooner than this. (Plus they're four chapters to go. The last two chapters will most likely come out at the same time). Laters! 


	19. Ch 18 The Battles: Part Two

Chapter Eighteen: The Battles Part Two  
  
Fury and intensity ran through his blood as Kenshi raised his sword. He charged after the man who had manipulated him, the man who had taken the souls of his warrior king ancestors, and the man who had taken his vision away. The man no other than Shang Tsung, the shape shifting sorcerer.  
  
Shang charged after him as well, his own sword raised. When they were close enough to one another, they swung their swords at each other and they collided with one another. From there, they swung their weapons at each other again and again, both playing offense and defense.  
  
After a few minutes of this, Shang did a sudden back flip and kicked under Kenshi's chin in the process. Kenshi flew back a bit and landed on his side. Shang Tsung did a couple of more back flips before standing back in his fighting stance.  
  
Kenshi picked himself back up, his katana still in his right hand. Shang smirked as he watched the swordsman get back on his feet.  
  
"You may have taken me down easily last time," said Kenshi. "But this time, it won't be so easy."  
  
Shang smirked even more. "We'll see about that." At that, he put both of his hands out and a large fireball shot out straight at Kenshi. Kenshi immediately felt the immense heat coming towards him and he rolled forward going towards Shang and out of the way of the fireball.  
  
As soon as Kenshi was a foot away, Shang brought his sword to the side and swung it sideways. Kenshi jumped back and the sword was only close enough to rip a small portion of his suit on his side.  
  
Kenshi lifted his sword up to his face and once again, he and Shang exchanged weapon attacks at one another. It only resulted in their swords constantly colliding at one another.  
  
Then, after what seemed like a while, their weapons clashed with such a forced that both lost grip of their swords at the same time. The weapons flew away from them and landed a few yards away.  
  
Immediately, Shang threw a quick jab at Kenshi's jaw and connected with it. Kenshi's head flew back sideways, but then he managed to quickly recover and block the next incoming punch. Kenshi blocked a few more of Shang's punches before Shang lifted his leg up to knee Kenshi in the stomach. Kenshi sensed it coming and immediately grabbed his leg. With one quick twist, Shang's body was lifted from the ground and turned 360 degrees before Kenshi let go to drop him on the ground. Shang landed hard on the ground, but managed to roll himself out of the way and get back on his feet before Kenshi executed another move.  
  
Kenshi ran towards his adversary once again. Shang stood at his spot awaiting the swordsman's attack. As soon as Kenshi jumped in the air and put one leg out to kick him, Shang quickly put his hand out towards him and immediately an eerie whistle from the wind was heard. Kenshi suddenly felt some of his strength suck out of him like a vacuum cleaner. Shang stepped aside and watched Kenshi land hard on his side and rolled back a couple of times. What had just happened stunned Kenshi for a few seconds. He shook his head, determined to not lose that easily, and slowly began getting himself up.  
  
"What did you.............do to me........" Kenshi asked feeling his head spin in circles.  
  
Shang laughed before replying, "You should know by now that I infest souls. What I did was take a little part of your soul, weakening you and giving myself more strength. I would take all of it right now, but I'm really enjoying this little battle of ours."  
  
Kenshi growled through clenched teeth as he got himself to his feet. More rage consumed him as his mind drifted back to the day his ancestors' souls were enslaved. He made a promise years ago to free them and he would fight as long as he can to free them, even if it meant his own death and that his own soul would be enslaved by Shang Tsung.  
  
With all the strength that was still left in him, Kenshi ran back over towards Shang and when he was close enough, he swung his right fist to Shang's face. Shang blocked the move and immediately followed with an uppercut to Kenshi's chin, another swung to his face, an uppercut to his neck (knocking the wind out of Kenshi in the process) and ended it with a knees connected to his abdomen. Kenshi was just about to collapse to his knees, but then Shang put his hand out and another ball of fire emerged out of it. It hit Kenshi with an intense force that sent him flying back a few yards. When he landed on the concrete ground again on his side, the immense pain took over Kenshi's body and he found himself unable to get himself up as easily as he did before.  
  
{He........he took me down,} Kenshi thought to himself. {Perhaps I don't have what it takes to free my ancestors.} He bowed his head down feeling ashamed of himself.  
  
Shang walked over to the fallen Kenshi and looked down at him. "Face it, swordsman, you are nothing but a fool to think that you can take me down."  
  
He lifted his foot up a bit and kicked Kenshi hard in the face causing him to turn on his other side. At this point, Kenshi didn't care if Shang beat him to a bloody pulp, his shame was fully filled inside of him.  
  
Shang continued on. "I will admit, you are quite a warrior for a blind man. Unfortunately, you are not strong enough to beat me...no one is." He gave another hard kick to Kenshi's stomach. Immediately, Kenshi coughed up some blood.  
  
"Now, this battle shall end for that I have other things I must attend to." Shang took out his hand and his eyes began to glow bright green. "First, I took your vision. Now I shall take your soul."  
  
Immediately upon hearing that, Kenshi's mind suddenly began racing. All of the events that had occurred to him in his life came to him, mainly the more recent ones. And all of the people he's met came to him and he could hear their voices in his head.  
  
General White's voice came first. "Are you sure you are up to it?" It was back when White had asked Kenshi if he was sure that he could take on the mission in Outworld and its highly possible risks.  
  
Cyrax's robotic like came next. "It's for celebration time if the mission is successful." It was back when White had found a bottle of Heineken in Cyrax's back pack before he went through the portal to Outworld.  
  
The ninja Ermac's voice followed, "As a blind swordsman, like yourself, you hold many surprises."  
  
Next, he heard Jax. "Kenshi, you ARE part of the team." He had said this to Kenshi hours before leaving Outworld.  
  
Sonya's voice came soon after. "Good luck, Kenshi, and be safe." She had said this just before leaving for Outworld.  
  
Then, he heard the sweet voice coming from no other than his love Alex. "You are the best swordsman, don't let others make you think otherwise."  
  
{Alex...} A bit of sadness came over him at first. He laid there on the concrete ground as Shang got ready to finish him off. Then, a thought came to him. {If I die, Shang will take my soul. When Alex finds out, she would hunt him down and seek vengeance.}  
  
For the last ten years before coming to Special Forces, he had been alone and it became worse when Shang took his vision. For ten years, he sought out for Shang to not only free his ancestors, but also seek revenge from the sorcerer who had left him blinded for life and for leaving him to die in the House of Pekara, his ancestors' resting place. Vengeance burned within him for so long that nothing else mattered to him, until the day he joined Special Forces and met Alex. Her kindness and concern towards him took him away from his state of his needful vengeance and to him, it felt great to have the angry feeling off his shoulders for a while. It had come back to him when he came to Outworld, but when he thought about Alex during his mission, all of the anger and pain he's ever experienced seem to go away.  
  
Now, as Shang got ready to take his soul, Kenshi found a new reason to defeat the sorcerer once and for all. {I will not let Alex go through what I have been through!}  
  
He thought about the new telekinetic powers that the ninja Ermac had given him during the reason. {This was the reason why I was given these powers...they would help take Shang down.}  
  
Just a split second before his soul was sucked out of him, Kenshi quickly pulled his hand out and pointed it towards Shang.  
  
A sudden force hit Shang and he found himself pushed back. {What the...} he thought. As the swordsman slowly got himself back to his feet, Shang became aghast by what he saw. Kenshi's hands and head was glowing in a purple aura as his telekinetic powers emerged out of him and now being used against the sorcerer.  
  
"Impossible..." Shang said under his breath.  
  
Kenshi smirked upon hearing that. "It is possible. I'm a blind warrior, I'm supposed to be filled with many surprises. Now here comes a few more of them."  
  
Shang felt himself lifted in the air and smashed down to the ground a few times. Then, he was thrown back and forth around the palace ground, hitting all of the statues and walls around them. Then, Kenshi brought Shang crashing back right in front of him. Shang tried getting back up as he felt his head spinning in different directions.  
  
The sorcerer became desperate at that point. He knew that the blind warrior could snap his neck with the powers that he had and Shang had to take him down immediately. When he turned his head to the left, he found that his straight sword was only an arm length away and Kenshi's was a few feet away.  
  
"It's over, sorcerer," Kenshi said. "How does it feel to be beaten by a blind man?"  
  
Shang looked up at him and growled. "It isn't over yet." Then, he quickly reached his hand over and grabbed his sword. Immediately, Kenshi sensed Shang's movement and when he heard him pick up an object, Kenshi knew that he got access to his sword again. In high speed, Kenshi lifted his leg up and with all of his strength, he kicked Shang's wrist forcing him to let go of his sword. Then, Kenshi lifted his leg higher and followed it up by bending his knee back and kicked his heel into Shang's temple. The sudden pain forced Shang to go down on his knees.  
  
Kenshi brought his hand to his side and the purple aura appears on his hands and head again. His katana was lifted up from it's place on the ground and floated back towards Kenshi who grabbed its handle upon reach. He walked over at the fallen sorcerer. Shang looked up at Kenshi, who stood over him sword in hand. The swordsman stood there for a moment, not moving, not talking, not even thinking.  
  
Then, without any mercy within him, Kenshi brought the edge of the sword to the concrete ground, then quickly performed an uppercut with it. In the process, he left behind a long, deep wound in Shang's torso. Kenshi could feel the warm blood splattering on him, but he didn't care for that he had finally given what the sorcerer deserved.  
  
In an instant, green souls emerged from Shang's body as he screamed in agony from the pain he was feeling. Soon after, his lifeless body fell forward. Kenshi could sense the souls going in different directions, going where they can finally rest in peace.  
  
Kenshi then felt a powerful energy within his katana and a large group of souls flying around him. {My ancestors,} he thought. He lift his sword and held it above his head and the souls around him returned to their resting place within the katana. When all were in, the energy disappeared.  
  
For a moment, Kenshi stood there, the winds blowing lightly. Then, he put his sword, stained with some of Shang's blood, back into its scabbard behind him.  
  
{He's finally dead,} Kenshi thought. {All of my goals have finally been accomplished.}  
  
Then, he began to walk to away from the palace ground. Where he was going to go he wasn't sure of. After five minutes of walking, he could feel an angry rumble beneath his feet. The palace behind him was collapsing.  
  
***  
  
Sonya, Jax, and the rest of their allies made a run for it as the palace began to collapse. They headed towards the edge of the woods, away from the danger they will leave behind.  
  
When they reached the woods, the palace was almost demolished into nothing but rubble, but that was not what they ended up watching. The souls from the Soulnado quickly made their way into different directions, going to their resting place to move on to their afterlives.  
  
Sonya smiled at this. "They are free once again."  
  
Then, one soul lingered over to the warriors. The soul was small at first like the rest of the souls. Then, it grew and formed into a human, a human that everyone immediately recognized.  
  
Kitana stepped forward a couple of feet towards the soul. "Liu Kang..." she could only say.  
  
Liu smiled and nodded at each warrior standing before him. "I thank you, my friends. You have freed us from enslavement."  
  
"But Shang..." Jax began to say.  
  
"Do no worry about him," Liu insisted. "Another mortal warrior eliminated him and put him out of his misery. The mortal warrior fought well and he possessed strong senses."  
  
The last statement made Sonya leap inside. {Kenshi!} she thought. He was still alive at this point now. She quickly looked around but he was no where to be seen.  
  
"He is far now," Liu continued looking at Sonya as though he knew what she was thinking. "Not sure where he is heading." He looked at everyone again, mainly Kitana and Kung Lao. "I must go on now. I will always be watching over you. Take care." With that, his human form became a small green orb again. Liu joined the rest of the souls to go on with their afterlives.  
  
Everyone was silent for a minute. The deadly alliance was no more, the sorcerers were dead, and the once-enslaved souls were free to go on.  
  
Then, Kung Lao broke the silence. "Now what?" he asked.  
  
Sonya immediately replied, "There's one more mission we must do...we have to find Agent Kenshi." 


	20. Ch 19 The Red Dragon

Chapter Nineteen: The Red Dragon  
  
The blind swordsman Kenshi walked around an empty area. He could feel the sand beneath his feet and the harsh winds blowing against his body. The tail of his red blindfold flapped hard against the wind sideways towards the left of him.  
  
Kenshi slightly lifted his head up. He could feel the sun on his face coming from the east indicating that it's past dawn, at least in Outworld time.  
  
Soon, he stopped in his tracks and he began to think about what had happen only a few hours ago. His bloody duel with the evil sorcerer Shang Tsung was long and hard, but in the end, it was worth it, even with waiting a whole decade.  
  
{I've accomplished my goal,} he thought. {I've avenged my ancestors and now I believe that I am the best swordsman there is.} But there was only one question left that lingered in his mind. {Now what?}  
  
He was still in Outworld. With the portal destroyed, Kenshi had no other way of getting home. His mind became blank, not knowing what to do at the moment. Then, he let out a short sigh and continued walking.  
  
About an hour later, Kenshi was still feeling the sand below his feet and the harsh wind blowing against him. But this time, the sun had shifted and the tale of his blindfold flew behind him.  
  
Suddenly, Kenshi felt uneasiness inside of him. He stopped in his tracks and let his senses kick in. He could sense someone not too far from him just by the feel of goose bumps on his back.  
  
{Someone's behind me,} he thought.  
  
"Who's there?" Kenshi demanded.  
  
No reply.  
  
Just because there was no reply, didn't mean that Kenshi was going to take his chances. After all, this was Outworld he was in. Once again, he slowly reached behind his back and lingered his fingers around the handle of his katana.  
  
"You know, for a blind man, you're pretty good at detecting those in your presence," said a very unfamiliar voice.  
  
Kenshi turned his head towards the sound of the stranger's voice. "Who are you?" he demanded once again.  
  
The stranger sneered. "Let's just say that I'm an assassin, and my job is to assassinate the blind swordsman named Kenshi."  
  
"Do you work for Shang Tsung?" Kenshi asked. "Because if you do, I'm afraid that I've already eliminated him for good."  
  
"Liar!" the stranger cried. "Now, let's get down to business. How would you like to die? Should I just cut your throat open right now to make it quit? Or should I gut you in the stomach so that you die slowly and painfully?"  
  
Kenshi took out his sword, which was still a bit stained with blood from his battle with Shang, and pointed it towards the stranger. "Wouldn't it be more honorable to fight first?"  
  
The stranger sneered. "Fine then. It'll be a nice warm up for my upcoming battle after I kill you. Just remember this as you die........that you were killed by I, Mavado, member of the Red Dragon."  
  
Kenshi only clenched his teeth in reply. The two charged towards each other. When Kenshi collided his weapon with Mavado's Kenshi immediately noticed two things. Not only was Mavado's weapon in an odd shape as though it was like a large hook, but also there were two of them.  
  
Even though Kenshi has been a swordsman for years, never has he ever fought anyone with two weapons present. He was trained to fight one with double weapons, but it has been so long since. In his mind, he prayed that he could remember what he was taught.  
  
He felt Mavado's weapons move back and aimed at him again, one towards his head, the other towards his ankles. Kenshi quickly ducked, then blocked the lower move with his sword. Mavado took this opportunity to take the back of his other hooksword and cracked it behind Kenshi's head. Kenshi fell forward, but then caught himself and rolled forward a couple of times. He got himself back up and turned himself towards his opponent. Mavado jabbed his hookswords at Kenshi, but Kenshi sensed it coming and immediately blocked him with his katana.  
  
The two began to exchange moves with their weapons, both playing offense and defense at the same time. Sometimes, Mavado would come in with his weapons from different directions making Kenshi either duck or jump.  
  
After a while, when they collided the weapons above their heads, Mavado immediately kicked Kenshi in the abdomen causing the swordsman to rear back a bit. Before Kenshi could recover the move, he suddenly felt the hookswords implanted into his shoulders. The sudden pain almost made Kenshi scream, but he held it back by clenching his teeth and throwing his head back.  
  
Mavado pulled him forward. He quickly took the weapons out of his shoulders, the blood spraying quickly in different directions. Kenshi was about to lift his sword up again, ignoring the pain, when he felt the weapons impale him once again. This time, they were inside both sides of his ribcage. Kenshi clenched his teeth more and he winced.  
  
Then, Mavado used the hooks, both still inside Kenshi, and lifted him up with them. It was here that Kenshi couldn't deal with the immense pain that resulted from that and let out a short, agonizing scream. He then bended his head down a bit, hoping that it would make it look like he was looking into Mavado's face. As he did, his fingers slowly unraveled the handle of his sword and the weapon fell into the sand.  
  
Mavado leaned in a little closer to the swordsman and said his last words to him. "I'll see you in the Netherealm." With that Mavado lifted one leg and with all of his strength kicked him in the stomach. The force sent Kenshi flying backwards, the hookswords leaving his body. Kenshi could feel his blood pouring out of his chest as he landed hard into the sand. He rolled sideways in high speed and when he finally stopped, he was on his back, his right hand over his left wound.  
  
Kenshi was still. All he heard was the sounds of the winds and his short breathing which eased him with pain every time he inhaled. He could feel his own blood exiting his wounds, some more of it inside of him, and the taste of it in his mouth. He was going to die in one of three ways. Either it was going to be loss of blood, his organs will stop functioning, or the blood inside of him will take over his lungs and drown him.  
  
Only a couple of hours ago, Kenshi had asked himself, "Now what?" concerning what there is left to do in his life. Now that he had accomplished his goals, he couldn't think of one thing that he would live for.  
  
{There's nothing left for me,} Kenshi thought. {I will proudly accept death.}  
  
It was then that Alex came to his mind and Kenshi gasped a bit in pain. He thought about all of the memories they shared back in Earthrealm. He smirked a bit as he heard her sweet voice in his mind.  
  
Perhaps, right now, she was here in Outworld looking for him, or she was back in Earthrealm with Sonya and Jax since there was no other way of getting to Outworld. Or perhaps, something had happened to her when he lost contact with Special Forces.  
  
Kenshi sighed in his mind. He could feel the coldness of the bracelet on his left wrist. {Even if I did reunite with her, would we still be together afterwards?}  
  
Kenshi clutched his left fist as he gave himself another thought. {I'm sorry Alex, I love you.}  
  
***  
  
Sonya Blade looked around in an empty space in the same area where she had her last battle with Kano. The winds were still harsh and the sands stung her body like a swarm of bees despite the mountains around her.  
  
Approximately three hours ago, she contacted General White to let him know that they completed their mission in destroying the Deadly Alliance. With that out of the way and Cyrax safely back in Earthrealm, there only other mission left was to find Kenshi and go home. Then, during the contact, White had told her something she didn't expect him to say.  
  
"Sonya, you and Jax have twenty-four hours Earth time to look for him," he had said.  
  
"Why, General?" Sonya demanded. "I don't care if it takes forever, I'm keeping my promise to Alex."  
  
"I know Sonya," said White. "But there are other missions here that must be taken care of and we need all the help we can. Plus Outworld is not much of a big world. If you can't find him, even if you, Jax, and the rest of your allies split up, he's most likely dead. Of course, if you find him, dead or alive, bring him back. This decision will be hard on Alex, I know, but hopefully she'll get through, especially with the baby and all."  
  
Sonya sighed. Throughout this whole mission, she had hope to find Kenshi alive, bring him home alive, and keep her promise to Alex. But with all the time that had passed, there was a chance that he could now be dead. Either way, Sonya was willing to find him.  
  
She brought her radio up and only said, "Okay."  
  
Sonya, Jax, and the rest of their allies made the decision to search for Kenshi. Everyone went solo except Sub-Zero and Frost, who went together, and Jax took Li Mei with him to bring her back to her home in the meantime. They agreed to meet in the same spot where Shang Tsung's Palace once stood in 24 hours unless contacted (Sonya and Jax gave everyone each a walkie talkie). Now with only 21 hours left, Sonya still had high hopes in finding the swordsman alive.  
  
It was then that she heard footsteps not far behind her. {Kenshi?} she thought with high hopes. She quickly whirled around and when she did, she saw a hook-like weapon right in front of her face.  
  
Sonya was surprised, but quickly got her senses back in gear and dodged the weapon before she was impaled in the face with it. She took one of her Kali sticks out and quickly thrusted it into her attacker's stomach as deeply as it would go. On contact, she heard a 'Oomph' and the figure feel back, dropping their weapon. Sonya grabbed the weird-looking weapon and ran over to her attacker. Before the attacker got up, she impaled them in the back of the head and the figure fell forward dead.  
  
"That's what you get for giving me a surprise attack," she said. She then notice the red dragon design on the back of the figure's black trench coat.  
  
"A Red Dragon member," she muttered. She quickly ripped the weapon out of his head and turned him over. Sonya gasped as she recognized the figure.  
  
"Mavado. This was the man who I fought in the illusion battle before I came to Outworld."  
  
It was then that she noticed a similar weapon a few feet away from her. She walked over to it to take a look at it. Her blue eyes widened when she saw blood on the weapon.  
  
{No...} she thought in horror. She looked around the area. While she did that, she prayed that the blood did not belong to Kenshi.  
  
She walked around to see any sign of, well, anything around where she was standing. It was then that in a far distance that she noticed a figure lying down in a far distance. She ran over as fast as she could despite the winds slowing down her speed. It took her three minutes to get close enough to get a better look at who it was, and when she recognized the leather uniform, the katana a few feet away, and the red blindfold around the figure's eyes, it was no doubt who it was.  
  
"Kenshi!!" Sonya cried out in terror. She ran over to him and went down on her knees. She took her left arm and slipped it over his shoulders. Her arm was immediately covered with blood coming from his shoulders. Sonya looked for any more wounds on him and gasped when she noticed two hook-like wounds in his ribcage.  
  
"Kenshi, speak to me," she said. She pressed her left arm into his shoulder wounds in hopes to control the bleeding. When she did that, he winced a bit in pain. Sonya sighed with a bit of relief now knowing that he was still alive.  
  
Kenshi moved his head a little before speaking. "S.......Sonya?" he said, his voice raspy.  
  
"Hang on, Kenshi," Sonya said. "You're going to be all right." She picked up her walkie talkie and spoke into it. "Everyone, I found Kenshi and he's barely alive. Meet back at the palace immediately."  
  
There were a few, "Rogers" before Sonya turned her attention back to Kenshi.  
  
"Come on, we're going home..."  
  
"Sonya," Kenshi said. "Just go."  
  
Sonya was shocked to hear this from him. "Kenshi..."  
  
"Please," Kenshi continued. "I...I killed Shang....freed my ancestors...my goals have been....accomplished. Please...there's nothing left for me now..."  
  
"Don't you dare say that!" Sonya cried. "You're coming home and you're going to live! Do this for Alex! She needs you!"  
  
"Just go," Kenshi demanded. "Even if you try....to get me home...it'll probably be....too late...tell Alex....I love her...and I'm sorry..."  
  
It was then that Sonya thought about the unborn child inside Alex. It occurred to her that, of course, Kenshi knew nothing about it.  
  
Sonya looked down at him. "Kenshi, I didn't want to be the one to tell you this, but there's something I should tell you. There is something left for you! You said it yourself, you love Alex, and she loves you! She's not the only one waiting for you back home."  
  
Kenshi became confused by that. "What....what do you mean?" he asked.  
  
"Kenshi...Alex is pregnant. You're going to be a father."  
  
At that, Kenshi's jaw dropped a bit. {Me...a father?} he thought. Emotions filled him as it came to him that there was still more left for him to live for. He had great friends at the Specials Forces base, he had a woman he loved, and now there will be a child who will one day call him, 'Daddy.' {Why did I decide to let myself die and leave all those who care about me?} he thought feeling foolish.  
  
A tear fell from one of his eyes. He had hoped that his blindfold would absorb it so that Sonya didn't see it. But the tear had made it out and went down his cheek. Sonya smirked as she saw it and wiped it away.  
  
"Get me...home..." Kenshi finally said.  
  
"I will," Sonya promised. She quickly took some bandages from her backpack and dressed Kenshi's wounds. Then, she threw him over her shoulders and began making her way back to the palace.  
  
"So," said Kenshi as she began walking. "Did you....find Cyrax?"  
  
"Yes," Sonya replied. "He's safe back in Earthrealm. Alex never gave me much detail on what happened, but soon we'll find out."  
  
"Yeah..." Kenshi muttered. Alex came to his mind again. He could wait to hear her sweet voice again, have her in his presence, and to feel her warms, sweet kiss again. {Alex...I'm coming home,} he thought.  
  
"Keep talking to me Kenshi," Sonya continued. "I want to make sure that you're still alive."  
  
"Trust me," Kenshi replied. "I'll make sure of that." 


	21. Ch 20 The Reunion

Chapter Twenty: The Reunion  
  
When Sonya finally made it to the fallen palace, Kenshi was still talking to her. {Thank goodness, he made it this far,} she thought.  
  
Everyone was waiting for her including Rayden. Jax ran over to Sonya. "Is he..."  
  
"I'm alive," Kenshi replied hearing Jax.  
  
"But barely," Sonya added. "We have to get him out of here quickly."  
  
It was then that she noticed Sub-Zero carrying Frost in his arms. She was slumped over a bit and not responding.  
  
"What happened to her?" Sonya asked as she put Kenshi down on the ground with Jax's help.  
  
Sub-Zero's grim face did not look at her. "It's a long story. I'll tell you when we settle on the Nethership."  
  
Sonya only replied with a nod.  
  
"We must get back to the rendezvous point," said Raiden. "It is there where I can transport all of you back home. There, my powers will be restored and I'll be able to heal Kenshi."  
  
And so they did. Bo' Rai Cho left the group to go back to his Outworld home, Kitana returned to her home Edenia, and everyone else returned to Earthrealm. Once on the Nethership, Raiden healed Kenshi's wounds and he was able to breathe again with no pain.  
  
"He'll need to rest during the ride," Raiden suggested. Everyone nodded in agreement. After a month in Outworld, Kenshi was going to need it.  
  
On the main dock, Sonya and Jax walked around a bit and looked out at the sea. "We're home again," Jax said.  
  
"Yeah," Sonya replied. "And I kept my promise to Alex."  
  
Then, they both noticed Sub-Zero standing by the edge. He was looking out into the sea and in his hands, he held what looked like a medallion.  
  
The two of them walked over to him. Sub-Zero felt their presence and turned to him.  
  
"What happened with Frost?" Sonya asked with curiosity.  
  
Sub-Zero sighed. "It's funny. You think that you can trust someone because you had contact with them, but that's not always true." He looked down at his medallion again. "This medallion is very powerful and only the grandmaster of the Lin Kuei can stand it's immense power. Frost tried to take it. I guess she wanted all that power, but she lacked the ability to control it. It almost killed her, but luckily I managed to take it back before things got worse."  
  
Jax frowned a bit. "What are you going to do with her?"  
  
Sub-Zero shook his head. "I don't know. I'll have to take the time to think about that."  
  
Sonya and Jax nodded. They knew that Sub-Zero needed to be alone. From there, they continued walking along.  
  
A couple of minutes later, they found Kung Lao meditating. They were going to leave him be, but then he spoke. "It's over. The souls are finally free."  
  
Sonya nodded. "Yes, they are. Kung Lao, you're not mad about Kenshi getting to Shang first, are you?"  
  
Kung Lao looked up at her with a small smirk on his face. "I didn't get to accomplish my own vengeance, but with Shang now dead, I'll get over it. As long as Liu Kang's soul is now in peace, I am in peace."  
  
"Glad to hear that," said Jax.  
  
Kung Lao nodded. He closed his eyes once again and continued with his meditation.  
  
Once again, Sonya and Jax continued their walk in silence. A few away, Johnny Cage was practicing his karate moves.  
  
Jax stopped in his tracks. "Eh, you can take of this one. I'll go to Raiden."  
  
Sonya laughed. "Um, okay." They went their separate ways, with Sonya walking towards Johnny and Jax towards Raiden. Jax reached Raiden and when he saw his face, he looked worrisome.  
  
"Raiden?" Jax asked. "Is something wrong?"  
  
"I am not sure," Raiden replied. "For now, there is no more threat of peril of Earthrealm. However, things could happen in a couple of years. Perhaps the Dragon King himself will awaken."  
  
"The Dragon King?"  
  
"Yes. The mummified army you fought once served the Dragon King. As we speak, there is an egg in Outworld waiting to be hatched. Once it is, the Dragon King will awaken. With his immense power, who knows what he is capable of."  
  
"Whatever it is," Jax said. "You know who to turn to."  
  
Raiden nodded in agreement.  
  
Meanwhile, Johnny noticed Sonya walking over to him. He smiled at her. "Hey Sonya."  
  
Sonya smiled back. "Hey Johnny. We kicked butt out there once again."  
  
"Yeah, and I'm ready for more," Johnny replied.  
  
For a moment, the two were silent. Starting to feel uncomfortable with it, Sonya spoke again. "What will you do when you get home?"  
  
"I was thinking about quitting the movie I'm in the middle of doing," Johnny answered. "Then I could direct my own movie about my recent adventure. What about you?"  
  
Sonya shrugged. "I'll probably just go back to the Special Forces base and go on more missions."  
  
"Well," Johnny said. "How about we go to dinner together before I go back to Hollywood?"  
  
Sonya smiled at that. She could feel herself turning a bit red in the process. "Sure, it's a date."  
  
On the other side of the boat, Kenshi rested on top of the cot that was there. He listened to the sounds of the waves crashing against the ship. He smirked to himself. He was back in Earthrealm and it wouldn't be long before Alex would be in his presence again.  
  
It was then that a green image appeared in his vision of darkness. "What the..." Kenshi muttered. He knew he wasn't dreaming because he was still able to hear the waves crashing clearly and the voices on the other side of the ship.  
  
The green shape formed into a female human. The woman smiled at him.  
  
"Hello Kenshi," she said.  
  
A confused look appeared on Kenshi's face. Before he could speak, the woman spoke again. "I was one of the souls who formed the one called Ermac. You have also eliminated Shang Tsung and freed us. I speak for those who have been freed and we thank you for it."  
  
"It's not a problem," Kenshi replied.  
  
"Now, I have a gift for you," the woman continued. "I am one who grants wishes to those who help me when I am in need. I give you the opportunity to give you one wish. The thing is, the wish will only last forty-eight hours Earthrealm time."  
  
Kenshi nodded, accepting the offer and its limits. He gave himself time to think about a wish, but there was one that lingered his mind and it was obvious that it was the wish he wanted.  
  
***  
  
Special Forces Base...  
  
Alex and Cyrax had just come out from a meeting concerning a previous mission both of them encountered with just a couple of days ago.  
  
"What a meeting," said Cyrax with delight. "Too bad they didn't serve any beer or else it would've kicked ass."  
  
Alex laughed a little bit. "I don't think the Sergeants would've wanted anyone to get drunk."  
  
"Rrriiigghhhttt," Cyrax replied. "So, what do you want to do now? We could go play some pool, or some video games, or some chess..."  
  
It was then that General White came over to the two of them from the podium. "Good afternoon."  
  
Alex smiled a little. "Good afternoon, sir."  
  
"Listen," White continued. "I need to meet with the two you in my office right now."  
  
"What did I do?" Cyrax asked. "That was Jimmy with the booze last night!"  
  
"No, Cyrax, no one's in trouble, although I would like to speak to you about that."  
  
"Darn it."  
  
"Then what is it about?" Alex asked.  
  
"I need you both in my office," White said. He turned around and began walking. Alex and Cyrax followed him.  
  
Alex began to have a bad feeling about this. {What is it all about?} she asked herself. She hoped that it was something about another mission and not about the mission in Outworld because if it was, she believed that the news wasn't going to be good.  
  
They reached White's office and opened the door. When the door was wide enough, Alex stopped in her tracks.  
  
"Holy smokes!" Cyrax cried out.  
  
Alex saw three familiar figures standing in the office. She saw Sonya in full General's uniform. {She must've got promoted!} she thought. Then, she turned to Jax who stood in his uniform. She noticed one of his metallic arms was missing. Then, she looked at the third person. He stood there, the red blindfold over his eyes and the katana strapped in its scabbard behind him. A smirk appeared on his face, probably because he was able to feel her presence.  
  
"Kenshi!" she cried out as she can over to him. Kenshi turned his head towards her voice and lifted his arms, welcoming her into them. Alex quickly threw her arms around him and buried her face into his shoulders, the tears steaming down her face. Kenshi held her close as though he never wanted to let her go.  
  
Everyone else in the room watched with happiness towards the couple who had finally reunited.  
  
"It's a Kodak moment," said Cyrax. "If I was not a cyborg, I would cry tears of joy."  
  
"Well," said White. "I think we should leave them be."  
  
"Good idea," replied Sonya. "I have to get ready for my date with Johnny."  
  
"Oh jeez," said Jax rolling his eyes. The four left the room and White closed the door behind him.  
  
Alex heard everyone leave the room and shut the door behind them. She felt Kenshi massage her back with one hand and stroked her long dark hair with the other. After a while of this, Kenshi finally spoke. "I love you."  
  
Alex moved her head to face him. A warm smirk appeared on his face and more tears streaked down her face. "I love you too."  
  
She was about to kiss him when he placed a hand over her lips. "I have a surprise for you. I think it's something you'll really like."  
  
"What is it?" Alex asked with curiosity.  
  
"I, um, I first want you to take off my blindfold."  
  
A confused look appeared on Alex's face. "Why?"  
  
Kenshi grinned. "Just do it."  
  
Alex nodded, although she still felt a little confused. "Okay."  
  
She slowly reached toward the edges of his blindfold and grabbed hold of the edges. Then, carefully, she pulled them up over his head.  
  
"So why did...." Alex began to say...but then saw why he wanted her to take his blindfold off.  
  
Kenshi's eyes were longer just white. There was a pool of blue around his pupils. Alex looked into his pupils, thinking that there were be blue in them indicating his blindness, but that wasn't the case. They were completely black.  
  
"Kenshi...."Alex managed to say. "You can see...but how?!"  
  
He brought his hand up to touch her face. In the meantime, he wiped the tears from her face. "Someone I helped in Outworld granted me a wish and this was what I asked for. The thing is, it'll only last for forty-eight hours. Six hours have already past so I only have forty-two hours left to see."  
  
Kenshi looked at Alex's face and took in every detail as he could. He stroked her long, straight dark hair. Her heart-shaped face contained her sky-blue eyes, her small button nose, her full, pink lips, and a nice light complexion.  
  
Back when he and Alex first got together, Kenshi had wished to see Alex, even if it was just once. Now, it was truly happening and to him, she was beautiful. Then, without even realizing it, a couple of tears fell from his eyes.  
  
Alex smiled as she saw this and wiped the tears away as he did with her. Kenshi noticed this and felt a bit embarrassed, but he would get over it. He looked into her eyes once again. "Alex, your beautiful."  
  
She smiled, showing off her straight, white teeth. They learned towards each other and shared what was probably the best kiss they've ever had. They let themselves go in a slow, rhythmic pace and their tongues danced with one another. As they kissed, Kenshi kept his eyes opened. He wanted to take in as much detail of the world around him while he had his vision.  
  
After the long kiss, their lips parted each other and they looked into each others eyes, never wanting the moment to end. Then, Alex could feel Kenshi's hand on her stomach. She looked down at his hand, then back up at him. "How did you..."  
  
"Sonya told me," Kenshi replied with a smile. Alex smiled back in return. Then, at the same time, their smiles faded. Kenshi knew that they were thinking the same thing. He had the opportunity to see Alex, but never will he ever have the opportunity to see his child.  
  
"Maybe one day," Alex said. "You will have another chance to see again and this time, you can see our child."  
  
Kenshi nodded. "I don't have high hopes on that, but you never know what could happen." He then looked into her eyes again. "I may be living in darkness, but I know that my friends, you, and our child will always bring light into me."  
  
Alex nodded with a small smile. They kissed one more time before making their way out of the office to enjoy the outside world before the darkness took over Kenshi's vision once again.  
  
******************************************************************  
  
Well, there's only one more chapter left, which will come most likely Friday. 


	22. Epilogue The One Being

Epilogue  
  
One year later...  
  
"Great dinner, Alex," said Cyrax in delight.  
  
"Thank you," Alex replied.  
  
The two of them along with Kenshi, Jax, Sonya, and White sat around at the dinner table. Alex had invited her Special Forces friends for dinner to her and Kenshi's new house on the residential area of the base. In between Kenshi and Alex in a highchair was a small infant, only about a few months old.  
  
"So is the baby giving you guys much trouble lately?" asked Jax as he looked at the child.  
  
Kenshi smirked. "Not today at least. Victoria must've known Cyrax was coming over."  
  
"Because I'm not just a mean old ugly mechanical robot," Cyrax answered. "I'm all sweet and handsome with a lot of good tricks up my sleeves."  
  
Cyrax's chest opened up revealing a stuffed doll. "Look at what Uncle Cyrax got you!"  
  
Alex smiled as Victoria cooed at the toy in front of her. "I'm going to regret the day she starts calling you Uncle Cyrax."  
  
Everyone laughed a bit as Cyrax set down the doll in front of Victoria for her to play with. Then they continued eating and having other conversations.  
  
Kenshi slightly turned his head towards the child next to him as she held on to her new stuffed doll. Everyday since the day she was born, he still found it hard to believe that this little wonder belonged to him, that she was his daughter. It was only a year ago that he had come to Special Forces where he met and fell in love with Agent Alex Walker...a year ago that he had went on his mission to Outworld while Alex and his unborn daughter waited on Earthrealm for him.  
  
When Kenshi and Alex named their daughter, they chose Victoria for that it meant, 'warrior.' They both believe that someday she will become one. Perhaps she would become a swordswoman or a Special Forces Agent. Perhaps she would be part of the next generation of Raiden's mortals to protect Earthrealm from the forces of evil.  
  
There will endless possibilities of what she would become in the future and Kenshi hoped to be there when that time came.  
  
Before Kenshi knew it, everyone was finished with their dinner. Alex noticed that his food on his plate was only half eaten.  
  
"Lost your appetite?" she whispered.  
  
Kenshi smirked as he heard her sweet, gentle voice. "No, I was just doing some thinking...about Victoria...just wondering what she'll be like in the future."  
  
Alex smiled. "Before we know it, we'll know." She quickly kissed him before taking her plate towards the dishwasher.  
  
Jax grinned at everyone. "So who's up for a game of poker?"  
  
"No way!" cried Sonya. "Kenshi always wins that game."  
  
"Yeah," said Cyrax. "And pool, and Scrabble, and chess, and Monopoly, and darts, and Ping Pong, and Go Fish, and about every video game you can name, especially that one game...what's it called...I think it's Street Fighter. Heck, he can even win in that game where you have to act out a TV show, a movie, and music!"  
  
Kenshi showed off a cocky grin. "I guess I'm just too good."  
  
"Well let's play poker any ways," Jax suggested. "Kenshi you're on my team!"  
  
"No fair!" cried Cyrax.  
  
Just before anyone got up, Kenshi immediately felt an eerie chill go up his spine. His senses could sense something from outside...something dark, something evil...  
  
Something with a sinister force.  
  
He stood up and faced where he could sense the disturbing chi. {What is going on?} he thought.  
  
Alex, who was holding Victoria in her arms, turned around to face Kenshi, but she didn't find him following her with the others. He stood there facing the window showing off the perfect blue sky and the bushes and trees on the green grass. She walked over to him. Kenshi, sensing Alex and their daughter next to him, turned his head towards them.  
  
The others ended up noticing the couple no longer following them to the other room. Alex had walked over to Kenshi who stood there by the window. Each of them immediately realized why he hadn't followed them.  
  
He had sense something.  
  
"Kenshi," said Alex. "Are you okay?"  
  
Kenshi slowly turned his body in front of her and slowly wrapped both arms around her and Victoria. At first, everyone was relieved, thinking that Kenshi was only daydreaming. That was, until he said the two words that would alter what was to come.  
  
"Something's wrong."  
  
As soon as he said those words, a thunderbolt landed in the room next to them, startling everyone and causing Victoria to cry a little bit. The familiar former Elder God appeared before them.  
  
"Raiden!" cried Sonya. "Welcome back."  
  
"Hello mortals," said Raiden.  
  
"Something's happening, is it?" asked Jax with concern.  
  
"I'm afraid so."  
  
"So now we'll be going to Outworld and kick some butt again!" cried Cyrax.  
  
"That indeed, but there is something important I must tell you," Raiden began to inform. "This is a new evil force, something that mankind has never faced before, one with a sinister force."  
  
Kenshi's senses were right, what he sensed WAS a sinister force. He held Alex and Victoria closer to him. "What kind of sinister force?" he asked.  
  
"One more powerful than any other," Raiden answered. "He is called...The Dragon King."  
  
At that, dark clouds began to cover the blue sky above them. Whatever was happening was now the beginning. And whatever was to come, Kenshi was going to help out in defeating his sinister force with his friends and lover, the ones who have given him light in his own darkness.  
  
The End.  
  
******************************************************************  
  
Bah! It took me five minutes to write those evil last two words! Guess I just didn't want it to end, but eventually it had to. Aren't I so evil leaving you all at an ending like that ^_^ tee hee! Any who the good news is there will be a slight sequel to this. I'm only calling it slight because it doesn't really base on the events of Living in Darkness, it's more based on what really happened in Deadly Alliance (I'm pretty sure Kung Lao beat Shang and Kenshi got his ass kicked by Mavado before he could get to him...blah...not that I don't mind or anything but still). The bad news is I'll begin writing it AFTER MK: Deception comes out (Kenshi's back! WOO HOO!). I know, long wait, but hopefully it'll be worth it. And Alex will be in it and this time she'll be fighting alongside Raiden and his mortals to defeat the Dragon King (of course, her Aunt, mentioned in this fic, will be looking after Victoria).  
  
Now the next thing...I want to thank everyone for your positive feedback for this fic! This was probably one of my favorite fics to write and I truly enjoyed writing it even though it took me a year to write (but that's okay ^_^). Hmm, what will be my next MK fic? Who knows, probably Stupid Babalities! (When Raiden and Fujin are stuck taking care of the warriors who have all gone a little overboard with the babalities). Well, once again thank you! Laters! 


End file.
